“Incomprehensible” performance: LASK stumbles towards the European Cup

LASK’s dress rehearsal for the European Cup comeback failed – and the performance at 1: 1 in the Bundesliga in Tyrol did not advertise the ranks in the play-off home game in the Europa League against Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday (21 clock) to fill. What’s wrong with the athletes?

Last season, LASK was there after four rounds with ten points, now with a squad that is at least better in width there are only half as many. “Sometimes it doesn’t have much to do with tactics,” said coach Thomas Sageder. “The players yell in the dressing room, make me feel motivated to go into the game and then deliver something like that. There’s no point in philosophizing about what our claim is and then knocking out a first half like that. That’s incomprehensible for me.”

Goalkeeper Tobias Lawal explained why the claim was not met: he missed heart and passion. Lawal touched the ball more often before the break than playmaker Robert Zulj. The captain couldn’t do anything with his 16 touches, attacker Marin Ljubicic was again completely in the air (five touches).

In the derby against Blau-Weiss Linz (2-0) it was enough to rely on your own quality. “If we lose six or seven balls, we just play the ball into the opponent’s feet,” said Sageder angrily – including the bad pass from Filip Stojkovic, which led to the Tyrolean 1-0 through Nik Prelec (16th).

In the 58th minute, coach Sageder replaced the right-back, a factor of uncertainty in the new season, and switched to a three-man defense. At least that worked – with the help of Tirol defender Felix Bacher, whose failed back pass was punished by substitute Elias Havel with a goal to make it 1-1 (70′). After that, LASK was even close to victory.

Mostar comes rested

Zrinjski Mostar got the template from Tirol on how to hurt LASK – with passion and fast switching. The champions of Bosnia-Herzegovina come to Linz rested on Thursday: the league game scheduled for the weekend has been postponed to November.