Andreas Wieland looks after the Linz team in Helsinki for the first time in the Conference League. He hardly has time for change.
Usually new coaches want one thing above all else: time! Time to train and share their ideas with the players. Andreas Wieland is going a different way at LASK this week.
The previous assistant to Dominik Thalhammer, who was on leave on Monday, only practiced on Monday with those players who were replacements in the 2-0 draw against Austria on Sunday, while the tribe regenerated. The free Tuesday, which had been planned before the change of coach, remained, so the 38-year-old only has the final training after the flight to Helsinki on Wednesday to hire the team for the first group game in the Conference League at HJK.
In order to make the U-turn after the recent disappointments, Wieland wants to prepare the players “with many one-on-one talks” to focus on the basics and keep the game simple.
Andreas Wieland
At the moment, he is not interested in whether he will become the permanent solution as head coach after the 18 games until winter if he is successful. In any case, the former young team striker of the ÖFB would have the highest level of trainer training required for this, as well as a degree (psychomotor skills).
Wieland has been with LASK since 2018, initially as head of the academy, then as assistant coach under Valerien Ismael and most recently in spring as the junior coach in the 2nd division. Previously, the Lower Austrian accompanied today's team players such as Florian Grillitsch or Christoph Baumgartner on their training path at the St. Pölten Academy as the sporting director and trainer of the U18s.
Thin squad
Wieland speaks of “high quality in the LASK squad”, but also knows that many players are currently not fit. Most recently, the three top performers Raguz, Wiesinger and Filipovic reported injured shortly before the game against Austria. Only the latter is an option for the trip to Helsinki. Newcomer Sascha Horvath is out. Also Letard, Schmidt and the long-term injured Gruber. No optimal signs.
