Back to the drawing board for Salzburg after CWC opponents change managers

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Champions League - Real Madrid v FC Salzburg - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - January 22, 2025 FC Salzburg players pose for a team group photo before the match REUTERS/Juan Medina/File Photo

UPDATED Jun 13, 2025, 06:29 PM

Thanks for sharing!

RB Salzburg's performance analysis department began early preparations for the Austrian team's opponents in the Club World Cup but the fact all of their group rivals have changed coaches has added an element of uncertainty, said manager Thomas Letsch.

Salzburg qualified for the revamped tournament in the United States based on UEFA club rankings, completing the list of 12 participating European teams. They are in Group H alongside Real Madrid, Al-Hilal of Saudi Arabia and Mexico’s Pachuca.

Those three teams share several traits: all of them changed their manager before the tournament and have reached either the final of the old-format Club World Cup or Intercontinental Cup at least once.

"Since all three opponents have changed their coaches not too long ago, we had to forget everything we had prepared about them," Letsch told Reuters.

"For our analysis department, this was quite a challenge. In this sense, there is a bit of the unknown, even with Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso.

"I am definitely curious to see how it will be, especially against clubs from Mexico and Saudi Arabia, against whom we have never played in any competition" he added.

Alonso replaced Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, while Simone Inzaghi began his spell with Al-Hilal following Inter Milan's heavy defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. Meanwhile, Pachuca have appointed Jaime Lozano.

German coach Letsch, 56, faced Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen three times in the Bundesliga with his former side Bochum.

"I don't think these games have any significance for the duel at the Club World Cup," explained Letsch.

Salzburg did not have much time to prepare as the domestic league ended on May 24. They face Pachuca on June 18.

"For us, the very short break between the end of the championship and the preparation for the Club World Cup felt like an extended international break," said Letsch.

"We were back together very quickly. But you could immediately feel that everyone was very excited about the tournament.

"We started training again on Monday and already had a quite different team compared to the last time in the Austrian Bundesliga.

"Actually, I didn't expect it to happen so quickly, and now we already have four new external signings and some young home-grown players. That's great and does us good. It's a kind of fresh start".

FULLY DESERVED

The European qualification rules for the tournament allow three Champions League winners from the past four years to qualify, along with the top-ranked teams.

However, a maximum of two teams from each country can enter if no other winners come from that nation.

This rule was the reason why Liverpool, ranked eighth in the UEFA rankings, did not qualify, as Chelsea and Manchester City had won the continental title in the last four years.

That opened the way for Salzburg to enter the competition, which will feature 32 teams, despite being ranked 18th in Europe.

Salzburg have a young squad to compete against Al-Hilal, the runners-up in the 2022 Club World Cup, Pachuca, who reached the Intercontinental final last year, and Real Madrid, who have won a record nine Intercontinental/Club World Cup titles.

Salzburg face a difficult challenge to reach the Round of 16 and Letsch believes that "it is not easy to define specific goals" before the tournament.

"Our goal is definitely to achieve maximum success. We are very excited about the (Club) World Cup and want to show our best side there so that everyone says that Salzburg rightly deserves to be there," he added.

Salzburg are well-known for developing talented youngsters and then selling them to Europe’s biggest clubs. It has been the starting point for players like Erling Haaland, Karim Adeyemi and Dominik Szoboszlai.

Asked whether the Club World Cup is an opportunity for Austria's 17-times champion to showcase more players, Letsch said: "Salzburg is clearly committed to developing young players and giving them the opportunity to play at the highest possible level.

"This is part of our DNA, and we want to showcase this at the Club World Cup. However, we must not make the mistake of just throwing any young players into the mix. It definitely requires a delicate touch". REUTERS

Join  ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Thanks for sharing!