Pros and cons

Is Blaswich the right choice as new captain?

Janis Blaswich is the new Bulls captain.

(Bild: ANDREAS TROESTER)

Janis Blaswich was chosen by coach Pep Lijnders as the new captain of FC Red Bull Salzburg. Opinions are divided on this decision. What speaks for or against the choice? This is the question posed by "Krone" editors Sebastian Steinbichler and Philip Kirchtag in a pro and con.

Choosing a player on loan as the new captain of a soccer club - many people cannot understand this decision by Salzburg coach Pep Lijnders. But what really speaks for or against the choice that ultimately fell on Janis Blaswich?

Pro

Binde für Blaswich ist die logische Folge

The signing of Janis Blaswich was a sign: The German is coming to become the number one in the Bullen goal. Why else would a goalkeeper whose skills are above the average level of keepers in the German Bundesliga join an Austrian team?

(Bild: Andreas Tröster, stock.adobe.com, Krone KREATIV)

The fact that Alexander Schlager's place as a regular is also gone is not a huge surprise. Neither is the appointment of the Leipzig loanee as the Bulls' new captain. The 33-year-old is the only player in the runners-up's squad who combines three things.

Firstly, as the oldest player in the squad, Blaswich has the most experience. This is also likely to have been the decisive argument in favor of the native of North Rhine-Westphalia. Secondly, he will stay in Salzburg for the whole season. He has that advantage over his "deputy" Amar Dedic. The Bosnian team player has recently avoided making a commitment to the former serial champions. Thirdly: Blaswich is the number one and therefore also a regular in the starting eleven.

Pep Lijnders' certainly well-considered decision may not be comprehensible to many supporters and observers. Unlike them, however, the Dutchman only got to know his players at the start of training in June. Everyone started from scratch under the Dutchman. Blaswich scored the most points on and off the pitch in the first few weeks - despite his shoulder injury. That also speaks for him as the new captain.

Contra

Lijnders macht einen großen Fehler

With his open manner, Pep Lijnders scored points right at the start of his time as Salzburg coach. During training, he greeted fans with a handshake and emphasized that they were welcome to approach him with any questions. And although the Bulls have yet to play a competitive match, there is a feeling that things are already much better than last year in sporting terms. The tests went well and pressing is once again an important component - everything seemed to be going in the right direction.

(Bild: Andreas Tröster, Krone KREATIV)

However, Lijnders has now made his first big mistake with his choice of captain. Despite his undisputed qualities, goalkeeper Janis Blaswich is the wrong choice for several reasons.

1. the German only arrived in the summer and has not yet done anything in the Salzburg jersey.

2. the 33-year-old missed almost the entire preparation due to injury and has hardly ever been able to train normally with the team.

3. Blaswich is only on loan and will probably return to Leipzig in 2025.

It's also clear that Lijnders wasn't thinking about the fans when he made his decision. This raises the question: Why should supporters identify with a player on loan? Especially when he is replacing fan favorite and Salzburg-born Alex Schlager from the box.

Apart from experience, he has nothing that makes a good captain. Blaswich doesn't know the club or his teammates very well. And is not someone you can plan for the long term with.

Dedic, Kjaergaard or Bidstrup would have been viable captain alternatives. But Lijnders has unnecessarily opened a can of worms.