Frustration in Salzburg

“We have to show a reaction – immediately!”

The disappointment was written all over the faces of Salzburg's players.

(Bild: 2024 FC Red Bull Salzburg)

Salzburg were licking their wounds the day after the 3-0 defeat at Sparta Prague. Pep Lijnders' squad cannot afford any more slip-ups.

Salzburg had traveled to Prague for the Champions League opener full of confidence and self-assurance. After a 3-0 defeat at Sparta, they departed again heavily disappointed and dejected.

"Difficult to put into words"
Pure disillusionment was evident on the faces of head coach Pep Lijnders' team. "We thought it would be different," sighed defender Hendry Blank, one of four debutants in the starting eleven for the Austrian runners-up. "It was a bad day for us," his teammate Kamil Piatkowski also complained. Goalkeeper Janis Blaswich puffed: "It's very, very difficult to put into words."

The team from Mozartstadt had a pitch-black evening in their first top-flight match of all things. Which they also explained with personnel problems. "We have one or two injured or sick players," explained sporting director Bernhard Seonbuchner. The facts:

• With Fernando, Daouda Guindo, Takumu Kawamura, Maurits Kjaergaard and Aleksa Terzic, coach Lijnders had to give up five players through injury.

• Mads Bidstrup, who was unable to make the trip to Prague in the first place, and Sammy Baidoo were two of the duo out sick. This clearly limited Lijnders' options.

Mads Bidstrup had to stay at home.

(Bild: krone.tv)

The truth is also that ...

• ... the coach threw two players into the deep end, Stefan Bajcetic and Bobby Clark, who had not yet played a game for the team from Mozartstadt. Clark even made his first appearance in a competitive match in almost five (!) months.

• ... Clark, John Mellberg, Hendry Blank and Moussa Yeo were four players in the starting eleven who had never played in the Champions League before.

• ... Mamady Diambou played at right-back for the first time in the second half.

• ... the offense around Oscar Gloukh was more harmless over 90 minutes plus stoppage time than ever before this season.

• ... ... the defense let itself be duped at times, as it did in the 3-2 defeat against Rapid. Blaswich, who fended the ball forward, and Clark, who allowed his opponent to escape, did not look good when they conceded the first goal. The whole team was asleep before the 0:2 and the third goal was the result of a serious mistake by Piatkowski.

Looking to the future
"We have to take the blame for that, improve a few things and move on," summed up the 24-year-old Pole, who showed leadership qualities after the game and faced the media despite a more than mixed performance. At the same time, he announced: "We have to show a reaction - and immediately!"

Pepijn Lijnders had to console his players.

(Bild: GEPA)

"We have to analyze this, there are no excuses. We have to focus immediately on the next game," said Lijnders. When asked whether he felt any pressure, the 41-year-old replied: "The pressure is on us to show who we are."

The runners-up will have to show their "true colors" on Sunday at WSG Tirol. Salzburg cannot afford another slip-up at the Tivoli in Innsbruck, otherwise the Bulls will be on red alert.

Brest as guests in Salzburg
"We have to do better," says Lijnders. That applies to the league, but also to the top flight. Brest will be visiting the Salzach on October 1. This game should also be won in order not to lose sight of the play-offs at an early stage.