Peter Pacult made a strong start to the season with promoted Austria Klagenfurt. Ahead of this weekend’s reunion with Rapid Wien, the 61-year-old talks about the messy end to his tenure at Hütteldorf, the development of his ex-clubs RB Leipzig and 1860 Munich, and the VAR.
Mr. Pacult, in light of current events: How do you assess the situation surrounding the Austrian national team and Franco Foda?
I think that one is certainly not happy with the league situation at the moment. However, it’s not my place to criticise a fellow coach.
Your team Austria Klagenfurt, on the other hand, is doing better at the moment. What are the reasons that you are in third place after ten matchdays?
This is only a snapshot. We’re not even at half-time yet and will only play our eleventh game in the league on Saturday against Rapid. But the thing is that we were very focused from the start and wanted to get points immediately. The team was also ready to put away games like against Admira, where we got two unjustified red cards. We know that we have to work hard in every game and go to our pain threshold to be successful. So far, the team has done that very well.
Are you positively surprised by your team?
Of course it was difficult at the beginning, but we have arrived in the league now. With the exception of Rapid, we’ve played all the teams and know where our strengths and weaknesses are. We know the areas where we still need to improve. The overall squad doesn’t give so much at the moment for various reasons, but at the moment it’s like the team is very focused going into the games and they have learned compared to the first games.
What exactly do you mean by the different reasons? Are there other problems apart from the injury worries?
No, I only mean the injured players (Gkezos, Moreira, Blauensteiner, von Haacke, Miesenböck and Hadzic, note). They have already proven that they have a lot of quality. That’s why we can’t rotate so much now, unfortunately.
“For me it’s no different than usual. “
PACULT ON THE GAME AGAINST RAPID WIEN.
You now have a home game against your long-time employer Rapid Wien coming up on Saturday. What are your feelings like in view of this previous history?
Clearly, I have a history with Rapid as a player and as a coach, but for me it’s no different than usual. I’m going into this game just as focused and with the same feeling as against all the other opponents. It’s all about three points again and of course we want to upset the clear favourites, Rapid. On Saturday, we’ll see if we can do that.
You talk about the clear favourites Rapid. Klagenfurt, however, are two points ahead of your former club in the table. How do you rate the Viennese team’s season so far?
I’m not in charge of judging Rapid. I only analyse them in terms of the way they play, but I also know that Rapid are certainly not happy with their current league position. That’s quite normal, because the standard is naturally different. But the season is still very long and if you look at the players and the budget, you know exactly how big the difference is to us. That doesn’t mean that the favourite has to win. There are games in which you can also show yourself as an underdog. But it is also clear that a lot has to work for us. With a look at Rapid’s squad, we know what to expect on Saturday. But the decision will only be made after 90 minutes on the pitch.
You played down the importance of the match a bit earlier. But after the split in 2011, there was talk of “a massive breach of trust between the club management and coach”. Two questions on this: Does this statement represent additional motivation and have you since come to terms with Rapid?
Nothing has been said. But that was ten years ago. I can’t go back on that. I’m far from looking back on it and drawing motivation from it. But of course it was nicer that I became champion with this club 13 years ago. That outweighs everything else for me.
You ended up at RB Leipzig after your time in Vienna. Back then, the team was still in the fourth division, today it plays in the Champions League. This was also made possible by Red Bull boss Didi Mateschitz. What is your basic opinion of the Red Bull model?
I don’t see any unfair advantage. Red Bull started in Austria in 2003 to be successful in sport. It was exactly the same at RB Leipzig. That worked out wonderfully. You have to say that a lot happened with the appointment of Ralf Rangnick in the summer of 2012. He put both clubs on completely new feet and made perfect use of this lucky situation. He found the right ways and also brought in the right people and players. Otherwise it would not have been so successful. That’s why you have to take your hat off to Ralf Rangnick. He is the father of this success. You have to see it that way – at least that’s what I do. The philosophy of the game, the direction of the club and scouting – all these points go back to him. You have to thank him for that. After that, the path was well continued at both clubs. That’s why they are so successful. One can only congratulate them on that. Mr Mateschitz took a lot of risks with this project and was then rewarded for it.
So you can’t understand the criticism of Red Bull’s concept?
That was especially true at the beginning. During my time in Leipzig, I also noticed that there was a lot of criticism from the fans. We didn’t even get any opponents during the preparation. But at the end of the day, you have to say that RB is basically doing everything right.
In contrast, things are not going so well at one of your other ex-clubs, 1860 Munich. How do you assess the current situation at the Löwen?
2004 there was a lot of pressure because of the financial situation. From that point on, things went downhill. The new stadium was certainly not conducive either, but the president at the time (Karl-Heinz Wildmoser, note) should certainly not be blamed for the relegation either. The players are still on the pitch. After a while things started to look better again, but now there is unrest again. I am still very close to this club and also well informed about the internal processes. Even though there is a lot of criticism of Hasan Ismaik (1860 investor, note), people have to remember that he is still keeping the club alive. Of course, he has also made mistakes, when I think about the fact that he locked out fans at training. Of course, that’s not right. Nevertheless, he is the man who provides the financial basis. I don’t think it’s right that people are always shooting against him. People should come to terms with him in order to get 1860 back to where they belong in terms of fan potential. Namely in the first division. Of course, if some gentlemen play their own game, it will be difficult.
You said that you are still close to 1860. What do you mean by that exactly?
There are contacts (laughs).
How can you understand that?
As I say, there are contacts.
“Austria Klagenfurt was (…) the pawn sacrifice. “
PACULT ABOUT THE INTRODUCTION OF THE VAR.
You are known as someone who doesn’t mince words. Do you think guys like you are currently dying out?
I can’t judge that. I don’t know why many coaches are different. Maybe one or two colleagues don’t want to speak out, others may not be allowed to either. Anyway, I am the way I have always been and that is not going to change any time soon. I have never pretended in my entire career and I will not do so again. I will continue to try to go through life the way I have done so far.
You have also made your dislike known on the subject of video referees. Are you fundamentally not a friend of the VAR or is it the implementation in Austria?
I was basically in favour of it, but at the moment it’s the implementation. Austria Klagenfurt was the pawn in the first six or seven rounds. There were decisions there that weren’t made in other games. We were the ones who suffered and got five red cards in six matches. In some cases there were decisions that would never have been made otherwise. I was always in favour of using VAR for offside situations or handball. But you can see in other countries that there are still discussions. So you can discuss whether to abolish VAR again and leave the decision to the referees. You also notice that the referees in Austria are very unsure. We have already had two games in which eight minutes were added. That’s not pleasant either – especially when you have a result you’re actually happy with. I would still let VAR decide clear decisions such as offside positions, but not situations in the game where you need super slow motion. There is also the question of what line the VAR is following. In Austria, we are currently in a grey area here.
One could argue against this that the percentage of correct decisions by the VAR has risen worldwide from 93 to 99 per cent.
We don’t have to talk about worldwide decisions when it comes to Austria. It doesn’t help me that the whistle is blown well in the USA or Germany if the right decision is not made here.
Now VAR has only been in place in Austria since the beginning of this season. Isn’t a little start-up time normal there?
Yes, there is no question that it takes time. Unfortunately, we were clearly disadvantaged in five games. I can’t live with that. But I do hope that the VAR will improve over time. In some stadiums there are currently only six cameras, in others ten. There, too, it’s a question of how and when I can draw a consistent line. You have to draw the right conclusions from past experience.
