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The number one in Austrian club football is called the Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, or LASK for short.
This will continue for at least a week, as the Stahlstadters have overtaken FC Red Bull Salzburg, who stumble in Südstadt, with a clear 3-0 derby win against SV Ried (match report >>>), next Sunday there is the direct match at the Red Bull Arena.
This is not the only reason LASK players consider first place at the table to be a good snapshot, but not much else. Athletes’ coach Dominik Thalhammer agrees with his kickers, but adds in “Sky”:
“I think it’s a snapshot, but also a statement of what the team has developed over the past few months.”
Thalhammer refutes “women’s coach” accusations
A look back: The season started with a lot of uncertainty for LASK. In the summer, after the Corona break, including the Linz training offense, the athletes lost their Bundesliga lead during this break and fell to fourth place at the final table. As a consequence, successful coach Valerien Ismael had to go completely by surprise.
Austria’s women’s team boss Dominik Thalhammer returned to men’s football after more than nine years and became the new strong man in LASK. Thalhammer had to struggle with prejudice from the beginning, after a preparation with many losses he was accused of being the wrong coach for LASK as a “female coach”.
“These are sweeping judgments that you keep coming back to,” says the 50-year-old with a three-month gap and explains: “But it’s not about me, it’s about team development, which I see very positively. But we’re still not to be on the end of the flagpole for a long time and the processes can continue, that’s what makes this team so exciting to work with because they want to keep getting better and better.
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LASK better masters triple loads
In fact, LASK has come an impressive road so far this season. Linz dominated the difficult qualifying phase for the Europa League by impressively defeating Dunajska Streda 7-0 and finally advancing to the group stage with a sensational 4-1 against Sporting Lisbon, Portugal’s top club. Stahlstadt’s team also sold well in the Europa League itself, but had to give up prematurely due to an unfortunate home game against Royal Antwerp.
In the Bundesliga, LASK faced the triple burden of all the European Cup starters and got better and better after an uneven start despite barely any turnover and many injuries. With the first derby win over SV Ried in the Bundesliga in more than ten years, Linz took the lead of the Red Bull Salzburg table on Saturday.
“Approaching Salzburg”
“I am very proud. But we always have to strive to improve and narrow the gap upwards. Red Bull has an incredibly high quality team. We still have a gap, but we are getting closer. That is also our Goal.” Thalhammer is happy with the new constellation of tables. Last season showed that this can change just as quickly and that a first place in the table after 32 days of play doesn’t have to mean much.
LASK finished the 2019/20 basic round six points ahead of Salzburg, after halving the points it would still have been three. At the final table, however, the Linzers were 17 points short of the Mozartstadters due to the point deduction. Gernot Trauner was one of the people who had to painfully witness this raid.
“The table is nice to look at, but it has little informational value. There are still so many games in the regular season and then there is the points division. We were also in front last season and we saw how quickly the leadership can be lost.” explains the LASK captain. , who was brought back to his hometown by Ried for the 2017 Bundesliga promotion. The 28-year-old continues: “There is no need to fall into ecstasy. We stay on the ground and watch from match to match.” .
Last Bundesliga game at Gugl
As a native of Linz, Trauner has attended many football matches at the Gugl, on the pitch, but also as a fan. The one against SV Ried was the last of the Bundesliga that was allowed to host the Linz stadium, as it is officially called. On December 16, LASK will play again in the ÖFB Cup against ASK Elektra at the Gugl, then it will be taken down and replaced by the ultra-modern Raiffeisen Arena from the summer of 2022. Until then, LASK must return to the Paschinger Waldstadion.
In Trauner there is a feeling of sadness, the ÖFB team player says: “We feel very comfortable in the Gugl. The field is bigger than in Pasching, which is very good for our style of play. But of course we are eager for the new stadium. ” Coach Thalhammer does not consider that the return to Pasching, where LASK has played all their Bundesliga home games from re-promotion to the start of this season, is too important in terms of results: “I think we will also score points in Pasching and Win games “.
LASK has to do that too, and it should be number one in the Bundesliga table next to the Linz club name even after 32 match days.
Text as: © LAOLA1.at
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