[ad_1]
Leo Østigård (20) was almost adored by St. Pauli fans last season. In Coventry, it does not show itself in the same way.
With his heavily sacrificed playing style, the midfielder quickly became a favorite in Germany.
Before this season, he went to Coventry and the Championship, and would play in the hearts of a new group of fans.
Like most other European leagues, the crown pandemic means that all matches in England are played in empty stands.
This means that neither Østigård nor his colleagues have the back support they are used to.
The Norwegian notices this especially in his body.
– I must be so honest to say that I struggle with that. I don’t feel like he’s the same player on the field as in St. Pauli with 30,000 in the stands, he tells Nettavisen by phone.
Also read: Østigård smashed bigger clubs: – I have no intention of spending my career sitting on the bench
He has just returned to England after his first meeting with the national team A.
On Saturday, he returns to everyday life when Brentford waits, also in the empty stands.
– You lose something that, at least the type of player I am, needs. I feel like something is missing and you need to mentally prepare even more. I have to try to make the most of it, but there is no doubt that it is a challenge for me and many others, he says.
COVENTRY: Østigård has been loaned to Coventry this season.
Photo: Nick Potts (Pa Photos)
– Don’t show who I am
The Brighton loan player thinks it is very sad that he cannot adequately show himself to his new fans, after becoming a true crowd favorite in Germany.
He had a very special bond with the fans of his old club and expected something similar in Coventry.
It becomes more difficult when there is not a single follower in the stands.
– I can’t show the exact guy I’m in the field. They showed it to me in St. Pauli, which meant there was a close relationship between me as a player and the fans. It’s hard not to have them in the back, because then you generally get better and more confident, he says.
– Does it mean you have to mentally prepare differently before games?
– Yes. At St. Pauli, there were probably 10,000 in the warm-up, so you got a boost right then and there and you were ready for battle. Now you have to focus more mentally, and talk a bit to yourself, like saying “do things well and with quality,” says and continues.
– When you have fans, you hear that there are some there and then you get sharper. Now it’s a bit of that practice match feel, but it’s life-threatening. You have to focus as if it were an important battle, he says.
Østigård has been a mainstay of the Norway Under-21 team for a long time, and was rewarded with an A place on the national team in matches against Serbia, Romania and Northern Ireland.
He came in after he had started every Coventry league game thus far, as one of three midfielders on the baseline.
One win, one draw and two losses are the result of the newly promoted club from the Norwegian stopper. The national team profile describes his own start in Coventry as “perfectly fine”, noting that he has had to adjust to both a new team and a new formation.
– I feel like I still have a lot to do.
EMPTY: Østigård and his Coventry play through empty stands. Here the Norwegian is in duel with Dominic Solanke of Bournemouth.
Photo: Nick Potts (Pa Photos)
– I have much more inside
Talk to Nettavisen after completing the final training session before the road game against Brentford on Saturday.
After returning from the national team meeting on Thursday night, the youngster managed only one training session with his new club before match day. Unfortunately, Østigård had no playing time against Brentford. The deal ended with a 0-2 loss for the Norwegian midfielder.
– I went back a bit in the last team with a view to tomorrow’s games (Saturday), so I think maybe I’m sitting on the bench, but then there is a game again on Tuesday, so there will be a lot of close games. When I traveled all yesterday (Thursday) and did not play a minute in a meeting, it is not the best load for the match, says Østigård.
In any case, he has gained a lot of confidence from coach Mark Robins after joining the club.
The 20-year-old has been used as a right midfielder on the former Chelsea player’s backline.
– I think they’re happy with me. I have tried to show that I can handle the level here and I feel that I have achieved it. I still feel like I have a lot to prove and that I have a lot more inside. I hope to find the flow that I had in St. Pauli, he concludes.
[ad_2]
