Janis Blaswich is back in the DFB squad – although he is now highly controversial at RB Salzburg. The fans are loudly demanding a change in goal.
Not many people expected him to be nominated, and the Salzburg fans were certainly among those who didn’t. But on Thursday, Janis Blaswich was among the 23-man squad put together by national coach Julian Nagelsmann for the Nations League games against Bosnia-Herzegovina (October 11) and the Netherlands (October 14). Because, according to Nagelsmann, he is the glue that holds the group together and “a very good guy”, the former Leipzig player is allowed to complete the trio of goalkeepers around Alexander Nübel and Oliver Baumann as the third choice. Blaswich, on the other hand, has not been able to score with outstanding performances recently.
In the summer, the 33-year-old moved to RB Salzburg on loan and was immediately named the new captain there. Because the previous first-choice keeper, Alexander Schlager, was still recovering from a meniscus injury, Blaswich was in goal from the start and did not give up his place when Schlager was fit again in mid-August. But the dethroned Austrian champions’ bumpy start to the season did not leave Blaswich unscathed.
In the most recent 4-0 defeat against Stade Brest in the Champions League, Salzburg supporters loudly demanded Blaswich’s return. As a native of Salzburg and former number one of the Austrian national team, the 28-year-old naturally enjoys a high standing among the fans, which is why RBS coach Pepijn Lijnders’ decision to make Blaswich the starting keeper and captain had caused some confusion in the environment of the Austrian vice-champion.
How does coach Lijnders react?
Blaswich’s inconsistent performances in Salzburg kit are fueling the discussions. The veteran, who received a DFB invitation for the first time a year ago, did not cut a good figure against Brest, as he had done in the opening game against Sparta Prague (0-3), and once again allowed a ball to drop forward before the 0-3. Blaswich has also not yet been the hoped-for support in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Lijnders is still cautious about the burgeoning goalkeeper discussion on the Salzach: “First of all, I have to deal with the relationships in the team. In football, it’s always like this: when the board, the management, the team, the coaching staff and the fans think the same way and want the same thing, then good things can happen,” he said after the Brest game. Currently, these ‘good things’ seem quite a way off. Which is why the goalkeeper position in Salzburg is quite controversial ahead of the top-of-the-table clash at champions Sturm Graz on Sunday.
