“Why shouldn’t we be the first to pursue Salzburg?” [Exklusiv-Interview]
+ + 90minuten.at Exclusive – The interview follows Georg Sander + +
Ferdinand Feldhofer will have known what the SK Fast coming towards him. For example, that a change is imminent and the fans want to see a different type of football after the Kühbauer era. The former Lafnitz– and WAC-Trainers should implement that, the experiences from the last stations – keyword fluctuation – should help. However, Wien-Hütteldorf is certainly not the small Lafnitz and also not the larger Wolfsberg, but much, much more. In an exclusive interview, he explains how Feldhofer wants to go about it 90minuten.at.
90minuten.at: Mr. Feldhofer, were you afraid of leaving the training camp with far fewer kickers than when you arrived?
Ferdinand Feldhofer: Strictly speaking it’s the same, we’ve called up Leo Querfeld, he’s a U19 national player. So the number was the same, just a slightly different position. (Note: Querfeld is a central defender, Kara is known to be a striker)
90minuten.at: The head of sports indicated that more departures could follow. Aren’t you afraid?
Feldhofer: (laughs) No, because I know it very well from my previous positions. This is anything but new for me, so I can deal with it quite well.
90minuten.at. Zoran Barisic has his “shadow eleven”, you could see that with the Ullmann transfer, for which Mann made arrangements with Jonas Auer in the summer. How far into the future does this future self reach?
Feldhofer: There are preparations, we worked through that together and agreed. We have found a common denominator, now certain personal details are being processed.
90minuten.at: Do you have a right of veto?
Feldhofer: I’ve always said that I’m very happy with the squad, but it’s not a request concert. We know how fast-paced business is. It is a fact that many contracts expire in the summer. As a result, there are already situations in winter in which one reacts – if it makes sense for both sides.
90minuten.at: Rapid is severely affected by the corona pandemic. Can you also say: Let’s see if we can sell someone now so that we can build something up by the summer?
Feldhofer: We not only think in the short and medium term, but also beyond the summer. We are prepared and also strike when it suits.
“When I took over, there were also discussions as to whether the time was right, that it’s such a difficult week with Derby, Europa League and so on. In retrospect, it was a huge advantage.”
90minuten.at: “Ur-Rapidler” Maximilian Hofmann has been extended until 2025, but he has also been criticized for the last year or two, now he should be the permanent constant in the defense?
Feldhofer: He’s a Dino, a constant, at Rapid, you could say that. We are very happy that we came to an agreement and there is little point in talking about the past before my time. I’m interested in what the future looks like!
90minuten.at: Rapid has a lot of junior team players. The way modern football is, you will want to install them, provide them with extensive contracts and then ideally sell them at a high price. Is there a key to how many homemade players should be in the squad?
Feldhofer: The priority for us is which players we have in our own ranks, in the short and long term. We also look at the younger age groups to see who can fill a gap. If we think that’s not the case, you have to bring in someone externally.
90minuten.at: In other words: In the end you only think of the Austrian pot.
Feldhofer: We currently have five legionnaires, so we haven’t even exhausted the legionnaire quota yet.
90minuten.at: So far you’ve monitored SK Rapid in three games and haven’t lost a single one. Genk was a coup, it could have been harder in the league. Now the fight for the top 6 follows, the first three league games are anything but easy with Salzburg and Sturm, there is pressure from behind, in the regular season final there is an opponent in Klagenfurt, who is currently ahead of Rapid. Especially with Hartberg as a cup opponent and then there’s the Conference League… How are you supposed to make it successful?
Feldhofer: That’s the nice thing. I like challenges like this and I can only say that it motivates me even more. You can prove yourself even more and that suits me very much. When I took over, there were also discussions as to whether the time was right, that it’s such a difficult week with Derby, Europa League and so on. We mastered it with flying colours. In hindsight, it was a huge advantage that I worked these 14 days because I was able to take action over the winter break and not just on January 3 as a newcomer. Half for the preparation for the new year. Now we’re in an intense period, the boys are fully involved, although it’s anything but easy at the moment. They have fun, show passion and are highly motivated. That, together with a willingness to learn and develop, makes me confident. This is the best way to master such tasks.