Sturm wants to learn from the “Watsch’n” in Eindhoven

2022 in the Europa League 0: 6 at Feyenoord Rotterdam, on Tuesday in the Champions League qualifier 1: 4 at PSV Eindhoven: It was on Dutch soil Storm Graz again without a chance. The Eredivisie runner-up and Neo-Supercup winner gave the Styrians a “teaching game” how StormCoach Christian Ilzer had to admit after the third round first leg. Nobody in the Graz camp is talking about promotion to the play-off anymore, at home it’s about an honorable farewell.

“The top teams in the Netherlands have outstanding footballers. You have to be outstanding as a collective, and if you don’t bring that up, then things will go downhill here. We’ve experienced that for the second time now,” said Ilzer. He experienced PSV even stronger than Feyenoord on September 15, 2022. The result could have been similar this time, but PSV lacked efficiency, especially in the middle of the second half.

Ilzer: “We had no chance”

“We didn’t stand a chance, you could tell that they were superior to us in every playing position,” he had to admit storm trainers admit. That probably had something to do with the course of the game. After less than four minutes, Isaac Babadi made a dream start, then Luuk de Jong quickly added a brace (22nd, 32nd). “To get such a superiority under control, you need collective conviction, and we lost that very quickly,” said Ilzer.

In the first 45 minutes, the Grazers couldn’t find their way into the duels at all, the home side were able to combine as they wanted, especially via the fast wingers. “That’s why the first half really hurt,” emphasized the Styrian. The only ray of hope was Jon-Gorenc Stankovic’s header (40′) after a corner out of nowhere. After that you were a bit clearer, but you didn’t find any effective means in the second half to change anything in the course of the game. After all, Grazer had chances of scoring another goal with a counterattack (55th) and through Tomi Horvat (86th).

Overall, the defeat with a difference of three goals was still to be classified as flattering. Ilzer also called the difference in quality compared to the domestic Bundesliga as a reason. “The contrast is so extreme when you leave the Austrian league and then have to play against an opponent with such quality.” If the opponent then surpasses himself even more with every good action, there is simply an enormous imbalance.

Stefan Hierländer also noticed this on the pitch. “We have been shown our limits,” he said Storm-Captain on a “very, very bitter evening”. In addition, the “basics” were not brought to the pitch. “A top team like Eindhoven takes advantage of that, of course.” Next Tuesday, the 24-time Dutch champion is a guest in the Merkur Arena and has all the trumps in his hand in the fight for entry into the play-off. It is therefore understandable that no one from Graz spoke of promotion anymore. The goal of the Styrians is simply to do it “much better” next week, as Ilzer put it.

The “lessons” from the “teaching game” must therefore be learned quickly. “We don’t need to suffocate in misery. We have to see this game as a great opportunity for us to improve things, to approach a class team,” Ilzer described his view. At the “real Watsch’n” it is important to grow. “We’re a cool squad that stands together. We had a lot to celebrate and now we have to have the character and team spirit to get through difficult phases very well,” demanded the 45-year-old.

learning from the mistakes

A look into the past is encouraging. Last season, the debacle in Rotterdam was followed by ten unbeaten competitive games including a 1-0 win against Feyenoord and two draws against Lazio Roma. “Such a defeat can also be very fertile ground. Getting a lot out of it, that’s the only way to get there,” said Ilzer, setting out the route. Before that, the league home game against Austria Klagenfurt awaits on Saturday, in which victory number three in the third game is the declared goal. PSV starts the Eredivisie at home against FC Utrecht that day.