Dreaming yes, but ...
Robert Klauß smiles away the championship fantasies
Rapids coach Robert Klauß allows the euphoria, but he smiles away the championship fantasies. He has already changed the mindset of the players.
It's nice that we're currently successful. But no one has ever achieved anything or won a title in August. In April and May, we want to be at our peak when it comes to winning something, like last year in the cup final."
With a smile, Rapid coach Robert Klauß tries to fend off the collective hymns of praise. After the 2-0 win against WSG Tirol, even visiting coach Philipp Semlic praised the Green-Whites as a "yardstick in the league". After former goalkeeper Helge Payer, Goleador Hans Krankl is now also talking about the championship title again: "Dreams sometimes come true when you perform. The way Rapid are playing, it's possible." And Peter Stöger, Austrias last champion maker, also praises: "The way they play is great to watch. They have pace, organization and creativity."
Still room for improvement
Underpinned by the statistic that seven of the first eight competitive matches were won for the first time since 1987/88, Otto Baric's era of success. "I was three years old then," grins Klauß. "Statistics are justified, but they don't help you."
But he understands that fans and the media are fueling the euphoria after the drought years in Hütteldorf: "You need that to enjoy it. We can all dream a little. That's allowed, but it's early in the season and other teams will get to a different level. We can't rest on our laurels."
The tight fixture list doesn't allow for that anyway. There is plenty of room for improvement, for example in terms of converting chances. Beljo's rate (three goals for the season) is good, but he has already missed a few goals. The "killer instinct" (in Klauß's words) needs to be honed. And now the freshness.
"Braga is to be placed above us"
On Wednesday, they travel via Porto to Braga (who won 1:0 at Boavista on Sunday night) for the Europa League play-off - Klauß: "That will be the biggest challenge we've faced so far. Despite the quality of Sturm and Trabzon. Braga are above us in the league, squad value and coefficients, in other words in everything. But so was Trabzon. We will not make ourselves smaller than we are."
But he must also ensure that the current euphoria does not make Rapid bigger than it is. Klauß has already changed the mindset of the players: "We now have a good feeling and have developed a self-image in recent weeks. We don't go into the game afraid of not winning. We assume that we will win because we are good, hard-working and have an idea. We decide how the game goes." Even in Braga?!
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