Vienna Austria has not won 15 games against the “Bulls”. How can you still go to Salzburg with the belief that you will win? kicker asked Manfred Fischer, who has already lost eleven times against Salzburg but also won once.
Mr Fischer, you probably won’t forget your only win against RB Salzburg, but do you have any idea how many times you’ve lost?
wow Very often. My odds are definitely better against Rapid. But Salzburg are simply the most difficult opponent. In order to get something, you have to put in the best possible performance and the whole team has to perform at its best. And Salzburg must also have a worse day.
Champions Group – Matchday 24
Your victory with Altach is offset by eleven defeats. 1:11 – is that the rate that reflects the strength ratio of Salzburg to their opponents?
I think that was roughly the guideline for a long time. It’s no longer the case, 1:11 is too high, as Sturm has already pointed out. And I don’t think we’re that far away either. We have also developed as a team.
I’m not a fan of ‘See what’s up’
If I apply for a job ten times and never get it, at some point I’ll think there’s no point. As a footballer, where do you get the belief that you can beat Salzburg this time?
I have this belief myself, it’s in my blood, in my nature. I have to be ready in my head to accept this challenge. To keep with the example, if I’ve been rejected ten times, I won’t have a good feeling the eleventh time. I’m definitely not going to Salzburg with a good feeling, but I have to convert that into positive energy, the mindset has to be positive. If I’m like, “Fuck, how are we going to get through this?” That’s the wrong way to go. I also said before the away game against Villarreal that we’re going there to win. You can smile about that after today’s result, but that has to be our claim as Austria. I’m not a fan of “see what’s up”. Because that means it doesn’t do anything if things go wrong. Actually, that means already translated: “It won’t work anyway”. And I’m not available for that.
But it’s not enough if you believe in victory, all 11 or 16 players have to believe in it. What do you say to Andi Gruber, who is now playing against Salzburg for the 20th time and has never won, what to Aco Jukic, who has lost all eight duels so far?
We don’t talk about the balance sheets of individual players at all. Everyone needs to know that they are responsible for how they prepare in their heads. Of course, everyone knows Salzburg’s brutal quality and everyone in Austria believes they are invincible. And they deserve that status. But if I don’t counteract it myself, there will never be anything to be gained against them.
How much can the right plan, the right system, help to have a chance against Salzburg?
The plan has to be right, everyone has to pull together. We all have to believe in the game idea we’ve been working on for weeks and months. If we then implement what the coach tells us, we can’t blame ourselves. A plan and its tactical implementation are definitely important.
Was the right plan key to your 3-2 win with Altach in March 2020?
We overperformed back then and Salzburg wasn’t on the normal level. Only then is such a success possible. But the team was so committed that any other Champions League team would have had a hard time against us that day. It was a very special day that everyone, including the fans, felt a tingle beforehand. I myself just came back from an injury and was only substituted on. But I can still see Sidney Sam scoring the two goals.
When you finally beat Salzburg, are you happy for a moment and then it’s over or is there still a picture of this victory hanging in your living room?
No, a win against Salzburg is more important than any other win. But even if you lose, you keep going. There are other important games. If we only win against Salzburg and then rest on it for four rounds, that doesn’t help either. Of course you look forward to a few days, but then the next task is already waiting.
As a professional, how do you rate the Salzburg players? Do you ever see a player and think, “Wow, I want to be able to do that too”?
You have to be realistic. You only have to look at the market values of the Salzburg players and the performances they bring in the Champions League to see the high quality they have. Every player in Austria then has to assess for himself how far away he is from it and what he lacks about these players. For me personally, this is easy to assess and I have no problem with it.
Was there a Salzburg opponent that particularly impressed you?
Haaland is of course followed. This is someone who plays for Manchester City today and who all of us have played against. Everyone thought he scored so many goals because it’s easy in Austria. Then he shot everything in the German Bundesliga and now he’s bombing the Premier League. That’s why I think it’s all well and good when Austrian football is always smiled at, but we really don’t have to hide. We are no longer a Perchtenliga and it’s nice that the league is so attractive today that footballers like Haaland, Szoboszlai and whatever their names are come here to play for a few seasons.
So how do you feel about going to Salzburg on Saturday?
I’m going there with a very good feeling. Because I am absolutely convinced that we are competitive and that we can take something away with us on a good day.
