LASK’s regression when approaching Toulouse

It was a step backwards in the run-up to the Europa League game on Thursday in Toulouse: LASK was completely thrown off course by conceding a goal in the 1-2 defeat in the Bundesliga in Wolfsberg. “A lot went wrong,” said coach Thomas Sageder. “That was a very disappointing performance.”

LASK initially had everything under control, a goal by Marin Ljubicic was canceled by the video referee due to a handball – and suddenly it was 0-1 thanks to Mohamed Bamba’s goal (25th). If Wolfsberg coach Manfred Schmid replaces two players before the new kick-off because he is not satisfied, that serves as proof that the goal came out of nowhere.

Little came from LASK after that, especially after Tobias Lawal’s mistake: the goalkeeper missed Florian Rieder’s goal to make it 2-0. “I am 100 percent convinced of him,” said Sageder about the 23-year-old’s first mistake, which had held up so strongly so far: “We have many other issues.”

For example, the dependence on Sascha Horvath: Wolfsberg’s Sandro Altunashvili took over the midfield engine in man-marking – and thus the black-white game was built up. “LASK played 90 percent of the time with long balls into the center, which were quite easy to defend,” said Schmid.

The dynamics are missing

However, LASK was unable to get the WAC strikers Bamba and Augustine Boakye under control without the injured defenders Felix Luckeneder and Rene Renner. “The opponent really kicked our asses with the two strikers,” explained Sageder. “They had so many chances, I don’t know why,” Ljubicic said. Wolfsberg “could have scored a few more goals. We weren’t good enough and weren’t lucky either.”

The athletes didn’t just lack dynamism like Bamba and Boakye in Wolfsberg. LASK pushed, but they couldn’t do more than make it 1-2 thanks to Thomas Goiginger’s penalty goal. Sageder: “Despite one or two chances, we don’t score enough goals.” Despite the rotation, he “didn’t have the feeling that we were fresher than the opponent.” Of all people, Elias Havel and Branko Jovicic, who had had a break in the cup game in Imst (3-0), were completely off track, and Andres Andrade, who was also rested in Tyrol, was not as strong as substitute Maksym Talowjerow’s side-man as he was recently as head of defense .

Toulouse won 3-0

Yesterday Sageder was busy drawing the right conclusions for Thursday’s task in Toulouse (9 p.m.). The dress rehearsal was successful for their Europa League opponents: the French Cup winners won 3-0 at home against Metz. Toulouse are in tenth place in Ligue 1 with nine points after seven rounds.

In the cup round of 16, LASK drew one of the five remaining second division teams: the athletes are guests in Kapfenberg (game date: October 31st, November 1st/2nd).