Soccer – start of training near Salzburg: New season, usual high goals
At the national level, the series champion is aiming for another double win, in the European Cup it should be similar to the season when the Champions League round of 16 was reached. Changes are still possible in the squad. 14 players were there at the start, one professional had to cancel at short notice for personal reasons.
Training with the team included Dijon Kameri, who had been brought up by Liefering, Youba Diarra, who had returned from Hartberg, and Fernando, who had been brought in from Shakhtar Donetsk and was involved in the last phase of the preseason. The Brazilian is now eligible to play for the “Bulls”.
In addition to the prominent departures Karim Adeyemi, Zlatko Junuzovic, Jerome Onguene, Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen, various team players such as Nicolas Seiwald, Maximilian Wöber, Noah Okafor and Luka Sucic are also missing. They are scheduled to join their clubmates by June 29th.
Until then, there could also be further adjustments in the current squad, as coach Matthias Jaissle explained. “Something can still happen in terms of departures and arrivals. We’re very relaxed about that. I’m confident that we’ll have a really great team on the field again next season.” At least with the goalkeepers everything should stay the same – both Philipp Köhn and Nico Mantl will most likely continue to be seen in Salzburg.
Jaissle spent his vacations by the sea and in the mountains and even dared to jump out of a helicopter. Thanks to this adrenaline rush, the new season is full of vigour. “I’m well rested and full of energy,” assured the German, emphasizing that in the next week and a half he would “start with the basics, teach the basic virtues again, so that the boys are picked up again immediately, which kind of football is.”
The physical condition of his protégés is of particular importance to Jaissle. “The basis for our game is that the physical component is well developed.” Tactical flexibility is also important. “We were already very variable out of our supposed rhombus,” said the 34-year-old.
Jaissle said: “I think we have to be careful here in Salzburg that we classify last season well and modestly. That was very, very special,” explained the coach. “Our goals remain high. Of course we would like to win the championship title again, even if the competition is not sleeping and will certainly make it difficult for us this season.” In the cup, it comes down to a constant approach. “It won’t be a sure-fire success,” warned Jaissle.
In terms of the Champions League, the coach also tried not to raise expectations that were too high. “The main thing for us is that we bring our football to the top level in Europe, maybe to annoy one or the other big players like last season.”
For sports director Christoph Freund, not only the bare results are the focus of the upcoming Champions League season. “It’s also about the way we perform. That will be very important.”
Left-back Andreas Ulmer wants to get into a knockout phase in the European Cup, and in Austria the left-back wants to get the fifth double in a row. Ulmer has not checked off the national team either, despite not being considered for the last four Nations League games. “Ralf (note: ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick) knows that he can call me if he needs me and that I’ll be happy to come back.”