The first eternal derby this season did not impress. Olimpija took advantage of Maribor’s timidity and helplessness and beat them 2:1. The purple ones were too passive, especially in the first half, when they just waited and hoped that Olimpija would not score.
The people of Ljubljana didn’t shine either, they achieved victory and successfully passed the general test before the midway visit to Lille. To the host of this episode Luka Petrič were joined by a guest Jaša Lorenčič and radio colleagues Boštjan Janežič and Marko Cirman.
Maribor lost in the “lost-found” column
The situation in Maribor’s first league is worrying. Four consecutive championship games without a win are a reflection of the current situation on the green and especially next to it. Coach Damir Krznar has problems in connecting quite independent football players, including the staffing of the sports director Mark Šuler doesn’t seem successful at this point. Maribor remained without a win in Stožice for the eighth time in a row, although they had a few chances to equalize on Saturday, but they wasted it all. It seems that he gave away the points to Olimpia already in the first half, when the purple ones stood too far from the players of Olimpia, which they took advantage of. Olimpija’s victory could and even should have been higher, but the green and white team were too quick to settle for a 2:0 lead. He spoke about the current problems of Maribor Jaša Lorenčič: “Maribor is currently distinctly lost in the “lost, found” category. No one has come forward to look for what Maribor has definitely lost.“
Bigger problem Krznar or bigger problem Šuler? Lorenčič adds: “In Maribor, every child can still answer “Champion!” to the shout Maribor. This will take some time. If you were to ask who is responsible for the current situation in Maribor, the answer would be violently divided. Šuler worked with what was available to him, he had to sell so that the club could function. Krznar then had to deal with this, who probably also has his own wishes, although he says that communication with Šuler is going well. The club created a positive financial balance last year, but will have to continue selling, because now it is obvious that European money cannot be relied on anymore. Krznar also finds it difficult to follow the mentality that Riera and Henriques brought to Slovenian football. To sum up… It’s been six years since the last Champions League, Maribor currently acts as the longest “after party”, when money is clearly not a problem, but the question is how much fun there is. There are also fewer and fewer people at this “after party”. Everything is done very spontaneously and very nervously. After the departures of Vipotnik, Tolić, Brnić and Kronavetra, passes and many goals went away. Maribor is currently neutered here. It’s hard to blame them for their fighting spirit in the derby, a more appropriate question is about quality, which Maribor doesn’t have at the moment.”
Marko Cirman having said that, he added: “The people of Maribor were hiding, shifting responsibility, they were afraid of getting lost. Such an approach says a lot about current Maribor. If I compare Maribor from a few years ago, when they played in the Champions League, I see two important reasons for their free fall. The first is quality, and the second is that in the past players knew how to survive difficult moments with aggression, even with Milanić’s pragmatism. They knew how to compensate, adapt to the situation on the field. There is no fire in the current Maribor team, the lack of quality is not there for the players or they do not want to replace it with a more aggressive approach. There is no attitude of a hungry wolf who cares about the Maribor jersey. Fans may be rightly concerned.“
The European Cups are starting
Olimpija players will play the first match of the group stage of the Conference League already on Wednesday due to the World Rugby Championship, which is currently being held in France. Visiting Lille is the most demanding of the group. The people of Ljubljana will have to line up in defense, as the opponent will surely be more dominant in the field. The victory in the eternal derby boosted the confidence of the people of Ljubljana, anything but a defeat in France would be a success. Boštjan Janežič: “The autumn will be concentrated for Olimpija, and the people of Ljubljana also face many organizational challenges. They invite assistants to the club in all areas for the preparation of European matches, for the reception of referees, for example, they do not have this staff at Olimpija and they will somehow try to patch it up with part-time workers. Nothing big can be expected against Lille, Olimpija is not compact in defense, even though they conceded only one goal against Maribor. With such a game, it will not be enough for competitiveness in Europe, probably the people of Ljubljana will return from the first game with no points.“
Source: Rtvslo
