Second division opener

Beichler: “Our soccer can be a weapon”

Going into his first full season as head coach: Daniel Beichler.

(Bild: ANDREAS TROESTER)

Liefering kick off their second league campaign today against Vienna. After seven games as interim coach last season, Daniel Beichler is entering his first full season as head coach. Before the start, the 35-year-old spoke to the "Krone" about the coaching position, season goals and the league.

Daniel, the new season starts today, how excited are you?

Of course it's great. We've had a relaxed preparation, although every coach will probably say that the preparation was great (laughs). We can go into it with a good feeling because we worked hard and wouldn't have done anything differently in hindsight.

Why was your preparation "super"?

There's a lot of turnover at Liefering, players go to Red Bull Salzburg or leave the club, some boys come up from the U18s. It was simply important for us to become a good collective. As coaches, we can help with that, but first and foremost the boys have to do it themselves. But I really liked the way they did it. We've taken good steps forward in terms of our playing idea, but we're not yet where we want to be.

Has anything changed in terms of the playing idea in recent years?

Yes, we want to be proactive and I want to see a strong collective, you should recognize the idea behind it in every situation. The most important thing, and I think we've internalized this culture by now, is that we make ourselves independent of external factors and are always with ourselves.

What do you expect from the players who have been brought up from the U18s?

As they have done so far, they should gain experience and get used to men's soccer. I'm aware that this process is simply different, and we allow for that. It's important for me that they are open to adapting things. I expect them to bring in a bit of light-heartedness.

Last season you were still in charge on an interim basis, now you're the permanent head coach, has that changed anything for you?

You're thinking more long-term now, the seven games were about us bringing in the most important things that are ultimately important to me in and outside of the process in such a short space of time. Now you know that you normally work with the boys for longer than seven games. So it's a bit different in that respect. But there's no difference in the day-to-day work.

What will you take from these seven games into the new season? 

That the soccer we imagine in the coaching team, when you get right down to it, can work well. That it's good to watch. It's also important to us that it's attractive soccer. For me, it was simply worth its weight in gold to feel what it means to be a coach in the second division. What it takes for the boys from our side. That's an experience that was cool for me.

What does it mean for you to be a coach in the second division?

Knowing what often comes from the opponents. Very often, when you watch games from the opposition, they do things completely differently against us. Because then they definitely have more of a tendency to hit balls, to go for second balls. Standards are a huge issue, and we've been really good at them in the last seven games. But we've also conceded goals. Especially with a young team against an adult team. These are elements where you watch a lot of the opposition and see that things often turn out a bit differently against us. Those are experiences that were good for us.

Daniel Beichler in conversation with the "Krone"

(Bild: ANDREAS TROESTER)

Liefering is mainly about development, but do you also have a goal for the season? 

Not a position in the table per se. That's another factor for me, where I say whether we're third or eighth, in the end it's still about feeling our soccer. Within this soccer, we want the boys to be able to develop to the maximum. And, of course, the best-case scenario is that we get the lads into the stadium with our cooperation partner. It's also clear that this isn't possible for everyone. But we at least want to work in such a way that we increase the probability. It's not as if I stand in front of the team and say that we want to achieve this position in the table. Our approach is to play every game in such a way that we have a high probability of winning it.

But you would certainly like to have a more relaxed fall.

Of course, the truth is that we've been in a relegation battle for a year and a half in the last two seasons. In the end, I don't really want to dwell on the past. But that's a fact. The spring was of course very, very good. But it's not about us playing a better fall in terms of points than the last two. 

How do you rate the second division in general?

I would be wrong if it was very one-sided at the top this year. I already rate Ried and Admira as the big favorites. I also believe that Vienna can play a good role. Whether that will really be enough for the top, we don't know. But otherwise it's closer than it was last year. Both at the back and at the front. There were massive gaps. You can actually only see the ambitions of the clubs on the left and right. What they have bought and want to do is completely different to last year. Of course, I don't have the experience to know whether it was the same last year, but there are a lot of ambitious clubs, so I'm simply expecting a higher density.

Are there any match dates that you have marked in your calendar? For example, the duel with Voitsberg and Jakob Jantscher?

I'm often asked about "Jantschi" (laughs). I know it's November 1st, but I'm not looking forward to the game right now. I know the first four by heart. The rest is just too far away for me. We still have so much to do before the four games are finished. But it's not like we're marking anything on the calendar right now.

I want the boys to be very clear, to have the necessary confidence and conviction that the idea of our soccer can be a real weapon.

Daniel Beichler

You've already briefly mentioned Vienna. They are your opening opponents today, what do you expect?

We've already played them in seven games. That was our only defeat. Accordingly, because it was a positive result for them, I rate them very similarly tactically. We assume that they will play in their diamond formation, have a good collective and continuity. The coach has stayed, which is a plus for them. They have a high basic quality and a good balance in the squad. We're already expecting a great challenge on the first matchday, which we've tried to be ready for in preparation.

What do you expect from your team at the start?

That they take some of the pressure off the first matchday and perform in a similar way to the test matches. It's one hundred percent clear that it's still going to make a difference in their heads because it's a championship game, but I want the lads to be very clear that they have the necessary confidence and conviction that the idea of our soccer can be a real weapon. If we put our soccer on the pitch, we can beat any opponent. I'm convinced of that.

You're also taking over the Youth League squad, what will be important there?

The competition is important in this house. We're still a bit in the dark as to which way we'll go. It depends on Red Bull Salzburg. But we've shown in recent years that we're at a good level. In relation to what we do in the league, little will change. I think you've seen in recent years that we have the advantage that we're already playing adult soccer for the most part. Of course, I'm looking forward to what's to come. Of course I hope that Red Bull make it into the group stage of the Champions League, for the club itself, but also for us. Six guaranteed games. That would be great, of course.

 How important is the Youth League to you?

Going into the competition as head coach is a cool story. I now have two years of experience in the competition as an assistant coach. That will also help me.