Thread completely lost

“Catastrophic!” Sharp criticism after LASK draw

Robert Zulj (right) was furious after the draw.

(Bild: GEPA)

Frustration and some harsh criticism at LASK after missing out on the opening win in the Conference League! "We lost the thread with the 2:0, the way we played was catastrophic, defensively without structure," grumbled Robert Zulj.

"From the very first minute, it was a game in which my team did little of what we had planned," criticized coach Markus Schopp after the 2:2 (1:0) draw against Djurgården. The leading players were very annoyed to have given away a 2:0 lead after an efficient 55 minutes.

Markus Schopp

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Completely out of sorts after a triple substitution
"We didn't let anything get to us in the first half and had our moments," said Robert Zulj. With two goals within eight minutes, the Swedes drew level at 2:2 and were then closer to victory. However, the Linz captain found it difficult to accept the draw. "We changed three times and no longer know what to do."

Valon Berisha, the scorer of the 1:0, saw too much passivity in his team in the minutes after the triple change (56'), which also saw him leave the field. "There was very little going on after the early three changes, to be honest. We had no pressure on the ball, which makes them a good team." They had to be happy that they still managed to get a point.

Schopp angry
Schopp justified the triple substitution with injury prevention. Florian Flecker, for example, who ennobled his comeback with the goal to make it 2:0, had to replace Moses Usor, who had twisted his ankle, after just ten minutes. More than a good half was then not in the tank. "If you lose six tackles, as you did when you conceded the first goal, then it has nothing to do with the changes," said Schopp, who resolved to be "super-critical" on his one-month anniversary as coach and sporting director in Linz. The team had seemed nervous and undisciplined. "In certain phases, solutions were sought that we hadn't discussed," Schopp told ServusTV.

"Tough piece of work" awaits LASK
For the 50-year-old, the Swedish second-placed team, who rested a number of regular players in the final stages of their championship, were "clearly better" and the game was a task for the future: "It's a tough piece of work that lies ahead of us." Austria Klagenfurt come to Linz on Sunday. In the second Conference League match on October 23, LASK will host Olimpija Ljubljana, who lost 1:2 in Heidenheim.