Arnautovic Unused? Coach Refuses Explanation

Thursday's European evening barely went to plan for Marko Arnautovic.

Austria's record international remained an unused substitute for the entire duration of Roter Stern Belgrad's 2-2 draw against FC Kopenhagen in the UEFA Conference League.

The 37-year-old was not the only prominent player coach Albert Riera opted not to use. Veterans Mirko Ivanić and Aleksandar Katai were also not substituted in.

Instead, the Spaniard brought on Austrian international Muhammed Cham for Tomás Händel in the 62nd minute. In the 84th minute, Mohammed Abu Fani and Loizos Loizou replaced Vasilije Kostov and Vladimir Lucić respectively.

Riera Believes in Himself

At the post-match press conference, Riera was asked about his decisions. However, he did not provide a concrete explanation for opting not to use the experienced trio.

"I don't want to talk about players who didn't play. I am very positive and look optimistically towards the tasks ahead. You won't change my mind," the Spaniard is quoted by "TV Arena Sport".

He then added: "Only losers dwell on what would have happened if something had gone differently. I believe in what I do."

Why Arnautovic did not get any playing minutes despite the close score thus remains unclear.

Arnautovic Sparks Discussion During the Match

Already during the encounter, the Austrian international caused an eye-catching scene.

As reported by the Serbian portal "Direktno", Arnautovic did not participate in his team's goal celebration after Timi Max Elsnik's equalizer that made it 1-1.

Instead, the attacker sought a conversation with Riera and seemed to explain something to his coach. However, what the two discussed is not known.