The injury list starts to clear
At least Gizo Mamageishvili returned to the squad against Celje after a weeks-long absence. "That is an extremely encouraging step. We now hope that one or two more players from our injury list might also be ready by Sunday," Ingolitsch offered hope.
Due to the numerous absences, the head coach only rotated up to three positions at most, despite the intense fixture schedule. Only Luis Balbo, Petar Petrovic, and Belmin Beganovic rotated into the starting line-up—some more often than others.
Ingolitsch himself doesn't want to blow the current slump out of proportion: "What matters in a phase like this is that you don't doubt yourself, but stay clear in your mind and stick to what makes you strong. And that's what we'll do. We won't deviate from that path."
The team is simply lacking ease, according to Heil. "We're currently in a phase where things don't flow as easily. But every player wants it, as you could see again today. Maybe we're just trying a bit too hard sometimes."
Are the creative players missing?
Besides the individual errors that led to three goals against Celje, there is still room for improvement, especially in attack. With 19 league goals scored, they are well behind the top three in the league (Rapid 33, Salzburg 29, and LASK 26).
Which could also be down to the absence of creative playmakers Kiteishvili and Rozga. "Of course, those are players who are missed. They are outstanding players, but they aren't available. Complaining about it won't help. We're all well paid to step up and fill the gap," Heil said, shifting the focus to the fit players.
Ingolitsch agreed: "Basically, there are enough solutions. If you attempt 29 shots on goal, you're obviously getting into dangerous areas. The fact is that our shots are constantly being blocked, or we're failing to hit the target."
The silver linings of the current slump
Yet every crisis brings winners as well. Alongside reliable goalscorer Oumar Diakite, who already scored his ninth and tenth goals of the season against Celje, summer signing Simon Seidl has also impressed across the board.
With nine goal contributions in the ADMIRAL Bundesliga, the 24-year-old is the joint top scorer alongside Hartberg's Marco Hoffmann. His right foot on set pieces poses a constant threat, and the versatile attacking player is involved in almost every dangerous attacking move.
In addition, new international Luca Weinhandl is growing stronger game by game, while Joshua Quarshie is keeping things tight at the back as the defensive leader.
Salzburg first, then the break
On Sunday, Sturm will have the chance to head into the international break on a high with a positive result against Red Bull Salzburg (Sunday, from 17:00 on the LIVE Ticker). The team visiting Liebenau has experienced the exact same intense schedule in recent weeks.
The first meeting between the two sides at the end of September went 3-0 to the Mozartstadt team.
"We have to forget our tired legs one last time before the international break and give it everything we've got to defeat the still-unbeaten Salzburg team at home – with our fans behind us," Ingolitsch declared.
Captain Jon Gorenc Stankovic is equally defiant: "We must do everything we can to turn this momentum back around."
