The construction sites have not become any smaller for Salzburg coach Pep Lijnders. After the 4-0 defeat against Brest, he not only has to deal with the false start in the Champions League. The goalkeeper discussion also catches up with the Salzburg head coach. The chants for Alexander Schlager did not go unnoticed by the coach; they continued to echo through the stadium long after the game was over. With the decision to demote the then injured ÖFB team goalkeeper to a reserve in the summer and to make new signing Janis Blaswich the starting goalkeeper and captain, Lijnders caused some incomprehension in the Salzburg environment. Blaswich fueled the goalkeeper discussion by once again allowing a ball to bounce forward against Brest, conceding the 3-0 defeat.
Human
Lijnders expressed reservations about the situation and also the discontent of the fans. “First I have to deal with the relationships in the team. It’s always like this in football: if the board, the management, the team, the support team and the fans think in the same way and want the same thing, then good things can happen. ” At the moment this does not seem to be the case from all sides. “For me the most important thing is that we win together and lose together.”
Bild: APA/BARBARA GINDL
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Bild: APA/BARBARA GINDL
Lijnders stood in front of his team and took responsibility. “I’m nice on the outside, strict on the inside,” claimed Jürgen Klopp’s former assistant coach at Liverpool. “We won’t make excuses.” After the game ended, the 41-year-old gave a speech in the dressing room. His team had not previously said goodbye to the disappointed home fans. That was made up for. Lijnders: “I was very clear in what I said. Football is like that, it happens very quickly. You have to learn.”
The coach does not want to accept the youth and inexperience of his team as the reason for the second serious defeat in the second Champions League game. “I’m tired of people calling us young, that’s no excuse,” emphasized the Dutchman. He thinks his squad is good enough.