Football Season Guide

Following a turbulent twelve months or so, a quite pre-season was precisely what they needed - and got. They shifted on some dead wood, lost some good CBs (but still have good ones left - an embarrassment of riches in this position, really), and now have a more refined, fine-tuned squad. The only noteworthy loss was that of goalkeeper Lawal, which was inevitable once Austria started calling him up. They've got good replacements for him though. RB has been a problem area for them for about a year or so now. Therefore, Danish RB Kasper Jörgensen signed to resolve the problem. He should prove to be a good signing but as always, time will tell. They didn't feel the need to sign many new players so only highly-rated midfielder Kacavenda joined from Dinamo Zagreb to give them another option. The most lamentable thing for them was the Robert Zulj situation that arose pre-season. The club has been a little 'off' with him for some time now, stripping him of captaincy etc. so something had to give. Zulj got an offer that he said he could not turn down, so the club agreed to cancel his contract. A bitter end to the career of a club legend though, and one of their best match-winners, even from the bench. Last season was a disaster, finishing outside the top six with the squad they have bordered upon being unforgivable. All could perhaps have been forgiven had they qualified for the Conference League but they blew a strong first leg win against Rapid Vienna, losing 3-0 in the second leg to go out 4-3. It was a fair outcome for a dreadful campaign though. With more calmness, organisation, and a trimmed squad, LASK should be able to get back where they belong this season. A title push may be beyond them (although never say never; not many teams stand out in Austria right now) but they should be able to make their presence felt in the top six, especially now that the Bundesliga rules permit them nine subs instead of seven - and they have a bigger squad than most. Nothing outrageous should happen with them but they're a good team so if they start the season well, they should be able to claim a respectable finish near the top of the table.