Our assistant coach Vitor Matos is using a diary to provide glimpses behind the scenes of our training camp in Saalfelden.

In his sixth diary entry, the 36-year-old Portuguese coach covers our friendly match against Sparta Prague and which of our boys particularly impressed him there.

Saturday 13 July 2024

Dear FC Red Bull Salzburg fans,

Today was GAME DAY! Pre-season games are always exciting for the staff. We get to know the players better, we can have a 'feeling' regarding the development of the team, and we can create a common point and start building this relationship together!

We look to the pre-season as a way of creating an adaptability to a new game idea, and an adaptability to a different way of training, which all has an impact on the players. In this way, the games are learning opportunities that have an impact on the collective and individual development.

We started the day with a team meeting on set pieces, just to go through the opposition patterns and also some solutions regarding ours!

Yesterday we couldn’t finish the training session due to weather conditions, so we decided to train some more with the players who were going to be involved for a maximum of only 30 minutes in the game. It was a good session and was also good to see Petar [Ratkov], who has a good mentality and open mind to learn - we did some finishing together and he was on fire!

Pep gave a superb talk to introduce the game. We never see them as friendly matches but as an opportunity to keep developing and also to create this winning and transcendence mentality.

The game was against Sparta Prague, current champions of Czechia. They are a really competitive team that starts their season with a UEFA Champions League qualifier next week. They are a man-orientated pressing team, and related to the structure they play they can overload the middle with four players (a double 6 and a double 10) and also use the full width of the pitch, using the wing backs really high and open, and also building the play with three centre backs.

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We knew that was going to be a brilliant challenge for us. Defensively our pressing block needed to be really focused in order to put pressure on the ball and at the same time being able to stay compact in the centre and cover the space behind the line. In the first half, in particular, we were brilliant at this. At same time we where able to have good moments when we had control of the ball - with good timing, control, speed, movements in behind and balance!

Oscar and Mau really “owned” the game and allowed everyone to find better positions to attack together. The front three also worked brilliantly, always threatening in behind, but at the same time Karim was really involved with the midfielders.

Also worth noting are the four talents we have here with us from Liefering. It is really important for them to have these minutes with us, and we truly hope to see more of them in the future.

Tomorrow we have a recovery day and a TEAM ACTIVITY planned!

Des is Soizburg! That is our way!

Until tomorrow,
Vitor Matos

All the other diary entries

#1 | Pride, honour and the first day of the training camp

#2 | A big thank you and a bike accident

#3 | Keeping a balance

#4 | Table tennis final tops fun Thursday

#5 | Routine works wonders

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Vitor's Diary: Friendly match from a coach's view