The 1:2 last Thursday at Sporting Braga was for Rapid in the play-off to Europa League not really disappointing after the 91-minute fight in the minority. After the 0:3 at Blue-White Linz was coach Robert Klauss but really angry.
“The way we conceded the goals was unacceptable. We simply cannot concede three goals in the same way,” said Klauß after the match. The 39-year-old particularly denounced the Attitude of his team “We have to push ourselves to the limit to win games. If we don’t do that, then we are not as good as we were made out to be. We were shown that – in an impressive way.”
The game in Linz was like a Test run been for the hot European Cup weeks in autumn. Klauß stressed: “This was an important game for us because we still have a lot of games to play after we played in the European Cup on Thursday. This was clear proof that we have to push ourselves to the limit to get something out of it.”
Rapid goalkeeper Niklas Hedl knows: “We missed things on the pitch that we have done really well in recent weeks. The game in Linz taught us a lot. It’s not always as easy as everyone thinks. I hope that doesn’t happen to us again.”
If things are not going well up front or many chances are missed, then Robert Klauss at least keep a clean sheet at the back. “That can happen. But then you can’t concede a goal. The goals always followed the same pattern. We discussed in depth that it doesn’t work like that: losing the ball, not protecting the ball, losing direct duels, retreating and switching behavior not consistent enough, not defending the goal with all your might. If the opponent is sharp and has quality, then that will be exploited.”
The Viennese hope that Sunday’s 0-3 defeat is a warning shot. Klaus: “It’s about doing simple things sometimes, like just playing the ball out of bounds, committing a small foul. If we want to solve everything in a playful way, which is also a good thing, we still have to master the basics.”
The German warns: “If we are not at 100 percent, then we will get the Ass spanked.“
(kurier.at)
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26.08.2024, 5:00
