Super Sub? Lang: "I can't stand hearing that anymore"

LASK's attacking options are currently very thin – so it's good for the Linz side that the available players are in form.

Following the end of Sasa Kalajdzic's loan spell and the cruciate ligament rupture of new signing Ramiz Harakate, coach Dietmar Kühbauer currently has only four players genuinely available for the attacking trio: Samuel Adeniran, Krystof Danek, Christoph Lang, and the recently injured Moses Usor.

This established quartet is supported only by youngsters Filip Perovic and Nael Kane, who made his second competitive appearance in black and white during the Bundesliga opener against GAK.

New LASK Strikers? "We won't rush anything"

Kühbauer recently expressed his wish to the sporting directorate that two more strikers should arrive. The budget for these necessary signings is sufficient, LASK CFO Mergim Bresilla emphasized to "Sky".

"But what we don't need is hurried action. We will bring in a striker, but we won't rush anything," said the commercial director.

"I can do it quite well from the start too"

Until then, Adeniran and Co. must deliver. The American did so on Friday with his first Bundesliga brace, and Christoph Lang also got on the scoresheet against GAK.

This was the Styrian's first goal as a starter after nine consecutive goals as a substitute. He had only just proven his qualities as a super sub with a four-goal haul in the UNIQA ÖFB Cup opener against Karlsdorf.

"I can't stand hearing 'super sub' anymore, I have to be honest," said Lang. Of course, he is pleased that as such, he was able to contribute important goal involvements, not least in the previous double-winning season, "but I believe I can do it quite well from the start too."

On Friday, he played in a somewhat more attacking role – as a left winger or left forward, depending on how you see it – than he usually does. He wasn't actually planned for that position before the start of the season, Kühbauer admitted to "Sky".

"It's good that 'Langi' has embraced this role, because he is fundamentally a player who prefers to come from deep. But he made really good runs today and was rewarded. He also worked well against the ball – he really tried everything so that the coach couldn't substitute him," raved the LASK coach.