Austrian football has enjoyed moments of European glory, but this season has been a different story.
RB Leipzig and Sturm Graz fell short of expectations in the Champions League and the Europa League. LASK and Rapid Wien, meanwhile, experienced a bizarre European rollercoaster, exiting one competition only to be handed a lifeline in the Conference League.
What went wrong? And can Austrian football bounce back next season? This article aims to find out.
RB Salzburg
Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up Salzburg did the hard work of negotiation two qualifying rounds (scoring eight goals in the process), only to fail spectacularly in the league phase.
A 3-1 win at Feyenoord, with Karim Konaté getting a superb double, was a rare bright spot in a dismal campaign that started with them losing the first three league games in a row. Their record? Nine goals conceded, zero scored.
Their problems didn’t ease up following their win in the Netherlands, either, shipping 13 goals in their following three games. Granted, these were against some of Europe’s biggest players with Real Madrid, PSG, and Leverkusen being their opponents.
Salzburg even changed their coach after the PSG defeat, but boss Thomas Letsch has a lot of work on his hands if they are to qualify for the Champions League once again next season.
Sturm Graz
The champions have led the Bundesliga once again for much of this season, but their European campaign has been a disaster.
Die Schwoazn only had one win to show for their opening seven games – a narrow 1-0 at home to Girona with Mika Biereth grabbing the winner. Other than that, a 5-0 slapping in Atlanta summed up a poor campaign, plagued by a lack of firepower.
This problem has been worsened by the loss of Biereth to French side Monaco after his 11 goals in 16 games helped shoot his side to the top of the Bundesliga.
Head coach will be hoping the likes of 19-year-old Leon Grgic, who scored three goals in his first six games, can step up to the breach, but it’s a big ask for the youngster who is only in his second full season.
Rapid Wien
Rapid Wien’s peculiar European season might be described as a bit like receiving cashback from an online casino after losing money, which is explained on this source. The team crashed out of the Europa League play-offs at the start of the season, only to get a second chance with entry to the Conference League.
Wien then managed to use more than pot luck by putting together a fine Conference League showing, finishing fourth in the league behind heavyweights Chelsea, Vitoria SC, and Fiorentina and automatically qualifying for the knockouts.
They displayed the joint-best defensive record in the league, conceding just five goals in six games as they notched up four victories.
Their last 16 showdown is against one of Panathinaikos, Vikingur Reykjavik, Borac Banja Luka or Olimpia Ljubljana, with the first option likely to prove the toughest test.
If Wien do make it onto the quarters, semis or even the Conference League final, then they’ll be the one bright spot in a disappointing European campaign for Austrian clubs.
The eyes of the country will be on them to see if they can pull it off.
LASK
Like Rapid Wien, LASK blew up in the Europa League qualification rounds, losing out to Romanian club FCSB.
Their Conference League campaign, however, painted a much different picture. LASK failed to win a single game and scored just four goals along the way, with the lowlight being a 7-0 demolition at Fiorentina in December.
Their league showing has only been slightly better, too, seeing them fail to make the Championship round of the Bundesliga amid heavy home defeats to Wolfsberger and Austria Wien.
Coach Markus Schopp will expect a much-improved end to the season, if he keeps his job for that long.
Who’s set to qualify for next season’s European competitions?
As we go into the Championship round of the season, Sturm Graz and Austria Wien are best placed for Champions League football next season, with only one spot allowing for automatic qualification.
The chasing pack include Rapid Wien and Red Bull Salzburg, however Europa League or the Conference League looks to be a more likely destination for them.
The bright spark for next season may well be Rapid if they secure a Europa League place. Their solid Conference League showing will have given them the confidence to take on European opponents, and they may just prove that they can make an impact in Europe’s secondary club competition.
The post Austria’s Euro Flops: The Story Behind the Failure of the Bundesliga’s Top Clubs in Europe This Season appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
