YB misses a huge opportunity against the second set of lawn balls: Lustenberger is Leipzig’s secret winner

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Fabian Lustenberger (35) played only four (out of seventeen possible) Super League games from the start this season. The opponents are Lausanne, Lugano, GC and Stade-Lausanne-Ouchy. Not the first floor. He doesn’t play internationally for a second. He can only play in three of the three matches in the cup. And now at RB Leipzig because coach Raphael Wicky does not use Ali Camara and Loris Benito, who are at risk of being suspended. Immediately inform the head of defense? Annoying. You would think.

The two strong Lustenberger tackles

But the Lucerne player, who has featured in 220 Bundesliga games, is in his second and probably last game in the Premier League as a star. No wobble, nothing. He saves twice with a tackle in his own penalty area. Sometimes this leads to the equalizer, but sometimes it also leads to the first goal being scored because the teammates cannot clear the ball. Does that particularly bother him? “I was annoyed when we conceded both goals. Regardless of whether a tackle from me preceded it or not. The goals came too easily. It’s a shame, because we didn’t give them many chances,” said the captain. And further: “And in attack we lacked the efficiency we already had this season.”

About his own strong performance, he says very colloquially: “I prepare myself week after week and training after training, so that I am ready when I am needed. I have already been able to prove several times this season that I can help the team. So here too I did my best. As a team we have achieved this well to very well. Unfortunately we couldn’t take anything with us.”

Optimism for the Europa League play-offs

So now this Champions League campaign is over and Lustenberger comes to his overall positive conclusion. “We have achieved the minimum target. We wanted to spend the winter in Europe. And we had the upper hand in the direct match against Red Star, which was a Fifty Fifty match. Leipzig and City, on the other hand, are of a different caliber. You saw that in the home games when they suddenly shifted two gears higher. You also saw that in Leipzig at certain times, that they are simply good, that they have an international format. You can learn a lot and get a lot out of games like this.”

Also that you can persevere if you push your own performance limits and the opponent has difficulty in certain phases of the game. “That makes us optimistic for the Europa League, which is now just around the corner.”

YB missed a huge opportunity

Only afterwards, away from the hustle and bustle, do you notice the many mistakes RB made against YB. The many chances that YB had to equalize. But the people of Bern fail only because of one thing: their own inability. Documented by the unsatisfactory qualifications of Silvere Ganvoula and Joël Monteiro.

Even the reserved “kicker” spoke of a “second set from RB” and of a match “that resembled a test match”. Other teams have taken advantage of such constellations to gain their first points and wins in the premier class. Like Royal Antwerp against Barcelona. YB not for the third time. That’s why you can’t be completely satisfied with this Champions League campaign. Partly because the total points have dropped to four points, the level of the first participation in 2018. In 2021 there were five points.

Only Sporting has been identified as a possible opponent

For YB, things continue next Monday in Europe when the opponent for the round of 16 (officially called the knockout playoff round) is drawn. So far, only one team is known as a possible opponent: Sporting Lisbon.

One thing is certain: the Bernese cannot compete against Liverpool, the biggest name in the Europa League. Teams like Roma, West Ham, Freiburg, Marseille, Rangers, Villarreal, Rennes (with Fabian Rieder!) are eligible. The play-offs will take place on February 15 and 22.

Source : Blick