"Working on the idea"

LASK starts spring mission with training camp

LASK coach Markus Schopp

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

After a poor autumn, LASK kicked off the spring season in the Bundesliga on Epiphany. Coach Markus Schopp welcomed his team to the Gugl for performance tests before they set off for their training camp in Belek on Tuesday.

"We are happy that we now have almost four weeks to work on our ideas and principles before the first competitive match," explained Schopp.

The Styrian took over the Linz team from Thomas Darazs at the end of September, but was unable to steer the rocking ship back on course. That is now set to change. Schopp not only wants to integrate the three new signings Samuel Adeniran, Mohamed Sanogo and Ismaila Coulibaly in Turkey by 17 January, but also give youngsters a chance. That's why Armin Midzic, Marco Sulzner, Tarik Brkic, Enis Safin, Sammy Mohammad, Wesley Frimpong and Modou Keba Cisse are also on board.

"It's extremely important to us to bring our young players even closer to the team," said Schopp, who is also LASK's sporting director. Recuperated players such as Andres Andrade, Moses Usor, Valon Berisha, Jerome Boateng, Lenny Pintor and Alexis Tibidi will remain in Linz, as will Filip Stojkovic, who is suspended until the end of February. The contract with winger Rene Renner was terminated in the winter, and the Upper Austrians also want to find a solution for loan players Tomas Galvez and Tomas Tavares, the club announced.

Blau-Weiß and Hartberg without new faces
LASK will be replaced in Belek on January 17 by FC Blau-Weiß, who overshadowed their local rivals in the fall and are three points ahead of the Athletiker in sixth place. Gerald Scheiblehner's squad has been quiet in terms of personnel so far, so the squad at the first team training session on Monday was identical to that of the first half of the season.

The picture was similar at TSV Hartberg, who start the spring in eighth place in the table and will be practising in Catez (SLO) from 16 to 24 January. The most prominent changes concern the coaching team. Match analyst Christoph Glashüttner and athletics coach Kevin Maritschnegg moved to league leaders Sturm Graz, while the contract with assistant coach Christian Gratzei was terminated at his own request. The new assistant to Manfred Schmid will be Scotsman Mark McCormick, most recently with SV Ried and known to Schmid from his time at Vienna Austria. The same applies to the new athletics coach Martin Mayer.

No personnel news from Wattens
There has also been no personnel news from Wattens so far, with coach Philipp Semlic assembling his ninth-placed squad on Monday to train in Malta from January 20-30. Bottom-placed Altach, on the other hand, will not be attending a training camp. Among those present at the kick-off on Monday was striker Florian Dietz, on loan from 1. FC Köln, who is expected to remedy the team's goal drought. For the defense, former Altach player Benedikt Zech, who most recently played for Pogon Szczecin in Poland, was brought in.