STURM GRAZ QUOTES
Sturm Graz Head Coach Jurgen Saumel spoke with anticipation and enthusiasm as he previewed Thursday evening’s UEFA Europa League fixture with Rangers at the Merkur Arena.
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“I am looking forward to playing Rangers in our first Europa league home game on Thursday evening. We won our domestic League game at the weekend – although it was a hard-fought win.
“Apart from two long-term injury absentees, everyone else is in training and available for tomorrow evening. We need every single player due to the heavy schedule of playing in both our League and in Europe.”
He addressed the issues that his Ibrox counterpart has faced so early in the tenure of his time in Glasgow.
“Rangers have brought in a lot of new players into the team, having spent a serious amount of money on the squad. It’s to be expected when a new Coach comes in that it’s going to need a bit of time. There has been a difference between their League games and in Europe, for example against Panathinaikos they managed to get a convincing win. It’s true that League results haven’t been quite so impressive – but I watched the game against Livingston and they could easily have scored four or five goals. They had a lot of possession, they played with intensity. There’s a lot of individual quality in the squad and when a new manager comes in the team requires to step up individually and collectively.”
The Austrian Coach nevertheless has every confidence that his team will be ready for the challenge.
“The players that Rangers have brought into the team includes 250 Premier League appearances. They can compete at a good level in Europe – but we have a lot of belief in our squad, having played in the ‘Champions League’ last season. I’m excited to be playing in our own stadium in Europe. My team are very well prepared. We need to play well – in Europe games can come down to small details. We’ll be up against a team that has very good individual players. We have to play at our very best, and pay particular attention to set pieces. It’s always important to stay focused.”
There have been concerns expressed over the quality of the pitch at the Merkur Arena. Saumel
“It’s true that there were a few problems with the pitch in our game against Hartberg. In that game we had lot of possession, we spent most of the game in their final third. In a situation like that, in a game like that, it can make a big difference on a good pitch – but other games in Europe are different against a strong opponent. I don’t personally think the pitch will make a difference – we’ll give it our all.”
By Robert McElroy