Rapid tanks morale after a draw at Salzburg
Rapid regained confidence with the 1-1 win over FC Red Bull Salzburg. In addition, the Hütteldorfer head coach Ferdinand Feldhofer has gained air for his post with the “victory of morality”.
In the midst of turbulent times, Rapid has at least gained a little peace of mind with a sporting success. The 1-1 draw at Red Bull Salzburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday brought a boost in self-confidence, coach Ferdinand Feldhofer spoke of a “point of morale” and a successful test of character. At Salzburg, on the other hand, Mann had the many missed chances in the second half, and sports director Christoph Freund is also threatened with leaving Chelsea.
Five lists in rapid presidential election
Rapid delivered the first headline of the day before kick-off, namely with the announcement that five lists are applying in the course of the upcoming presidential election. The hope that only one list will appear at the general meeting and that the election campaign will be as emotional as it was three years ago is unlikely to be fulfilled, weeks of skirmishes seem inevitable. Feldhofer accepted this calmly. “I can only do what I’m responsible for. I can’t influence everything else,” said the Styrian.
Feldhofer is responsible for personnel selection, system and tactics, and here he made decisions that should pay off, especially before the change of sides. “We controlled our opponents for the first half hour and kept them in our own half. That’s anything but a matter of course in Salzburg,” emphasized the Rapid coach. Feldhofer switched to a back three and put his trust in Leopold Querfeld, among others, while Kevin Wimmer did not even make it into the squad.
Team has moved together in crisis
Querfeld was responsible for Benjamin Sesko’s Salzburg goal after 17 seconds, but then equalized in the 21st minute. “These two actions describe the ups and downs that there are in football very well. I’m all the happier that I was able to help the team with my first league goal,” said the central defender and also said: “After we conceded proved that the team is fully intact. You could see that we can take it really well, that everyone is there for each other and that we push each other.”
Feldhofer also emphasized the good atmosphere within the team. “The team has moved even closer together, there was a lot of laughter in training. It was evident how passionately the team wrote. That could mean a lot for the future.”
First of all, Rapid’s first point win in Wals-Siezenheim in five years has meant that Feldhofer’s job is secured for the time being. In return, a departure from Salzburg’s sporting department could be imminent – according to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the change from sporting director Freund to Chelsea should be fixed soon.
Salzburg threatens to leave Freund
Managing director Stephan Reiter emphasized that no one had been in contact with him on this matter and pointed to Freund’s contract until 2026 without an exit clause. The players would regret saying goodbye. “That would be a shame. He’s an unbelievable sporting director, and above all his human qualities are amazing. He takes care of us players almost like he takes care of his children,” said Maximilian Wöber, and Andreas Ulmer added: “It would be a shame if he left would. He built and developed a lot here.”
Coach Matthias Jaissle says something similar. “He’s doing an outstanding job here. It’s logical that something like this arouses the interest of a world-class club. But I would like to continue working with him,” explained the German. A six-game winning streak in the league ended for his squad, also because one or two top chances were missed in the second half. “We didn’t reward ourselves,” analyzed Jaissle.
Nevertheless, the coach drew a positive interim conclusion before the upcoming international break, after all the “Bulls” got a draw against AC Milan and Chelsea at the start of the Champions League and made it into the round of 16 in the cup. In the league, the lead over LASK and Sturm is four points each. “It was a strong block in all three competitions. We held our ground against two exceptional teams internationally. We were dominant in the league and improved from game to game, and we also progressed in the cup,” summarized Jaissle.