Coach Stephan Helm speaks of a certain learning curve that his very young team, in many parts of the squad, had to go through on Sunday.
"But that is simply the path we are taking. It is very demanding, sometimes you have to grit your teeth," said the Burgenländer.
He can't blame his team much, not least because they have defied many challenges, especially internationally, and were able to cause problems for a top club like Braga.
"...then I am convinced that we will be truly competitive"
"Today we missed 30 minutes, and we will learn our lessons from that. But you have to assess this correctly: Against Salzburg, everything has to come together for you to challenge them. Especially in a phase where we cannot prepare for the game for four days and give everything on the pitch without compromise," Helm refers to the double burden of European competition.
A young team like his, in particular, would suffer especially under these strains.
In recent weeks, the freshness of his players played a big role in the selection of his starting eleven; "now the top eleven will be back on the pitch with full intensity. Then I am convinced that we will be a truly competitive team again," Helm promises.
Helm hopes for a similar effect as last year
Already last season, shortly after the double burden was lifted, there was a significant increase in performance – between the 5th and 22nd rounds, FAK collected the most points of all Bundesliga clubs. Helm expects something similar this year:
"In the upcoming phase, where the rhythm is normal, where it is more conducive to performance for our setup, I am convinced that we will play a really good role and take another step forward as a team."
"Develop the team in such a way that the club benefits in the long term"
Participation in the upper playoff is an explicit season goal this year as well, the other being: "To develop the team in such a way that the club can benefit in the long term."
Translated, this means: To offer as many young players as possible a platform so that they can recommend themselves for a multi-million-euro transfer.
Helm calls for patience
Den Weg, den wir gewählt haben, kann man erst im Winter das erste Mal so richtig bewerten.
In this endeavor, "we must not be derailed by setbacks - especially an away loss at Salzburg - " Helm demands.
He adds: "The path we have chosen can only be truly evaluated for the first time in winter."
"But one thing I can say already: If you look at the transfer potential we had in our team two years ago and what we have now, we have already succeeded quite well," the 43-year-old refers to Vasilije Markovics, Sanel Saljics, and Daniel Nnodim in the squad.
