Bundesliga: Salzburg coach Struber warns against recklessness

The last few minutes of the intense but always fair game proved how quickly things happen – especially on an emotional level. Sturm’s Jon Gorenc Stankovic and Dimitri Lavalee as well as Salzburg’s Lucas Gourna-Douath flew off the pitch after forming a pack. “The red cards are extremely bitter and harsh. I understand my players,” said Sturm coach Christian Ilzer, who would also have liked to see Salzburg player Oumar Solet, who was also involved, sent off.

Sturm’s sports director Andreas Schicker made a similar statement, ironically kneeling in front of the referees after the final whistle and then also looking at the red box after getting up. “Referee (Stefan, note) Ebner allowed the game to be played very hard, and in the end the game got totally out of control. The red cards were very, very harsh,” complained Schicker.

Sturm will “not give up”

“We are now missing two very important players in the cup,” said Ilzer with regard to the fourth duel of the season on Thursday. After two draws, his ambitious team suffered their first defeat on Sunday and now have to hope for several slip-ups from their opponents. “We are not 15 points behind Salzburg, you have to see that we manage to be there again this year,” said Ilzer, who was “proud” of the “Blackies” performance. “And even though it was a landmark victory, we won’t give up in the league.”

Salzburg wins Schlager in Sturm

Red Bull Salzburg set the course for its eleventh championship title in the Admiral Bundesliga on Sunday. On Sunday, the defending champion won the champions’ group at Puntigamer Sturm Graz 1-0.

So far, Salzburg have not made any curtsy in the second phase of the season, not even in their 27th away game without a defeat in a row. Never since the point halving was reintroduced in 2018/19 has the leader not been Salzburg after a game in the championship group. And it will stay that way for the time being. “The points are worth a lot, but difficult tasks await us,” said Struber, whose team hosts Rapid three days after the cup match. “We have to play every game cleanly and seriously and not feel safe because of the lead.”

Big praise for goalscorer Bidstrup

From Struber’s point of view, the appearance in Graz was worthy of all honor. “We had to invest a lot and worked our way into the game diligently,” said the 47-year-old. He was redeemed in a game with few chances by Mads Bidstrup, who scored his second league goal shortly after the break with a powerful volley with his “wrong” left foot – “too cheap,” as Ilzer groaned. Struber, in turn, praised the 23-year-old Dane highly. “Now he is also making a difference in scoring goals, which, coupled with his work against the ball, makes him extremely valuable for the team. This is also due to his great ability to learn.”

GEPA/Chris Bauer Bidstrup (r.) was the match winner for Salzburg with his second league goal

Bidstrup’s compatriot Mika Biereth, however, had no luck with the opponent and the striker was hardly able to demonstrate his efficiency due to a lack of chances. “Admittedly, we lacked the ultimate penetration power,” said Ilzer, whose team did not use their switching options in the press storm as well as Salzburg. “Against Salzburg you have to find very quick ways into the attacking third, if you lose the ball, the fire department goes off with Fernando,” said Ilzer, referring to the often dangerous Brazilian in Salzburg’s service, but who was imprecise in the finish on Sunday.

Personnel concerns at Ilzer

Not only does Ilzer have the task of getting his team up mentally until Thursday, he also has to think about the line-up. In addition to Lavalee and Gorenc Stankovic, other players could be missing: David Affengruber and midfielder Otar Kiteishvili. Affengruber complained of nausea and dizziness after the head collision with Fernando, Kiteishvili was missing against Salzburg with a calf injury. Whether the Georgian can return on Thursday is “unforeseeable,” said Ilzer.

Salzburg, on the other hand, is eager for revenge for the quarter-final exit in the cup against Sturm last season. “We want to get to the final, we don’t look at the past,” said offensive man Luka Sucic, who made a comeback at the finish after his knee injury and was quite self-critical despite the “deserved” victory: “We have to play a better match in the cup. In any case, Struber was extremely optimistic. “The team is finding better and better automatisms compared to autumn.”

2024-04-01 07:30:29
#Bundesliga #Salzburg #coach #Struber #warns #recklessness

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