Salzburg and the search for your own strength

A year ago, Salzburg were shown their limits in Milan: In the Champions League they were still well served with a 4-0 defeat against AC Milan. On Tuesday, the Austrian champions return to the San Siro Stadium to look better against Inter Milan (6.45 p.m.). “We will go into this with a lot of self-confidence,” claimed coach Gerhard Struber, even though his team had no chance in the dress rehearsal against LASK (0-1) on Saturday.

The problems that Salzburg had against the athletes are not new. “We didn’t get into our basic principles,” said Struber after the 0-1 defeat against Blau-Weiß Linz a month ago. In the 0-2 defeat against Real Sociedad he lost “the pressure that we know from us” against him LASK “lacked fire”. In public, the lack of intensity always served as an explanation for the unusual defeats.

The causes lie deeper. The coordination in the pressing suffered. If the processes no longer fit perfectly, even the highest intensity won’t help because you’ll be too late for a duel. Struber promised more spectacle when he became Matthias Jaissle’s successor – the opposite has recently been the case: there is a lack of ideas to create scoring opportunities, and the defense has become more vulnerable.

“We will be razor sharp”

“We know what we have to do,” said Struber. However, the time to repair the errors is limited. “We will be very clear, razor-sharp in our basic principles – then it won’t be easy for Inter either,” said Struber optimistically, probably with the hope that the recent setbacks have sharpened the senses for the duel with the Serie A table leaders.

That has to be the case if Salzburg wants to take something away from the San Siro Stadium. In the summer friendly in Salzburg, Inter Milan won the exchange of blows 4-3, but Struber’s team will probably not have as many chances as they did this time: the Champions League finalists have not conceded a goal seven times in eleven competitive games so far this season. “They solve things very simply on the pitch, but also very effectively,” Struber explained the “very pragmatic approach” of his counterpart Simone Inzaghi, which could hardly be more opposite to his own. Struber: “Now we have to really counteract it and enjoy it.” The arena will be sold out with 75,000 spectators.

Inzaghi announced changes, and according to Italian media reports, midfielder Nicolo Barella should get a breather. Marko Arnautovic is an alternative in attack: After the muscle injury, the ÖFB record team player could be fit for the “second leg” on November 8th in Salzburg.

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