Salzburg Stands No Chance

“Very dangerous!” Criticism and warnings after 0-4 loss

Salzburg lost 0–4 to Milan.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

One day after LASK’s 3–6 loss to Liverpool, Salzburg also became cannon fodder for a major European club in front of its home crowd: In their 0–4 defeat in the Europa League, the Bulls stood no chance against AC Milan. Coach Danny Röhl, who expects an “outstanding response” from his team, offered criticism and a warning, among other things.

Salzburg has suffered only four heavier defeats in European competition; at home, this was one of their four worst losses. This time around, they were certainly a far cry from the 1-1 draw against Milan in their home game four years ago during the Champions League group stage. “This looks very, very bad,” admitted forward Jesper Lindström. Of course, the quality of the opponent should not be overlooked. “Normally, this is a Champions League team,” the Dane emphasized.

(Bild: APA/EXPA/ JOHANN GRODER)

Röhl’s squad showed some promising moments, especially in the first quarter-hour, but also afterward. “I can’t blame the team. Our high press led to many, many ball recoveries,” explained the 37-year-old. The results, however, were modest during this phase as well as later on . “We have to take a good look at ourselves because we weren’t concrete enough there and could have played much better,” admitted Schmid.

Röhl’s Criticism of
 ’s Defensive PlayOnly the fifth-place team in Serie A posed a threat. “We saw how a top-tier team caused us problems with just a few touches in the final third,” Röhl noted. The fact that hat-trick hero Alphadjo Cisse was able to seal the deal early with his first two goals (15th, 33rd) wasn’t just due to the individual brilliance of the seven-time Champions League and European Cup winner.

Danny Röhl (left)(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

As pleased as Röhl was with the team’s play on the defensive end, he was nonetheless disappointed with their defensive performance. “We weren’t good at defending our box, especially on the (first) goals we conceded. We weren’t alert enough there. And at this level, that gets punished,” stated the former Glasgow Rangers coach. The fact that Bartos Mazurek, before the 0–4 goal, effectively handed the ball to scorer Goncalo Ramos with a simple turnover just outside the penalty area fit right into the picture.

The “perfect game” that everyone had hoped for ahead of the match remained nothing more than a hope. Even the fact that Milan coach Ruben Amorim put his trust in some second-string players didn’t change that. It wasn’t until the hour mark that current Champions League winner Ramos and Croatia’s veteran star Luka Modric entered the game. “Today, Milan was at least a cut above us,” said Röhl, though he hoped the team would learn from the experience. “For many of my players, this was the next step at this level.”

“It won’t knock us off our feet”
The next match is definitely on Sunday (2:30 p.m./live on the sportkrone.at ticker) at home against Bundesliga strugglers Altach. This coming Thursday, they’ll face Slovenian champions Celje in an Europa League away match; Celje lost 0–3 to Omonia Nicosia and is still waiting for its first point. Salzburg, which remains at three points, enters the match in a very different position. Röhl naturally cautioned against unrealistic expectations: “Talking about ‘must-win’ games in the Europa League is very dangerous.”

Röhl showed no concern that his team might struggle with mental repercussions following its first loss of the season in its 16th competitive match. “We’ve had a pretty good start, so a loss like this won’t knock us off balance,” he clarified. “I know my team will respond exceptionally well.”