With -16 points, Krznar says Maribor is no worse than Olympia

purple They managed only three shots in 110 minutes (the referee’s lost time in the first half was eight minutes and a length of 12 per second), and none of them entered the goal frame. They took no corners and only had 39% of the ball.

After the bitter defeat to Cooper last week in Ljudské vrt with a score of 0: 1, many expected a full onslaught from the 16-time champion of Slovenia. But nothing came of it. The captain too green and white Timmy Max Elšnik I was surprised by the press conference that Maribor played as if they were leading by 13 points and not behind Olympia. As if the derby wasn’t decisive for the Styrians, who should win the full prize. On the other hand, even in the event of defeat, Olimpija will surely retain the first place.

Maribor collected the most deficits in the opening five rounds, when they collected just three points under Radovan Karanovic. Damir Krznar He installed the team, which basically defeated the opponents from the lower half of the table. Against the top three teams of the season, only Maribor have managed to draw at home against Selge (2:2) in five matches, losing both meetings with Cuper and Olympia.

Krznar: The pace of the match was very slow

« We lacked a bit of determination and energy in attack, but in defense it was fine. When we were left with one player less I had to congratulate the boys on the fight. They stuck to the plan. With one player less, it was clear. Olimpia would win more chances. We lost the match, we are sad but we did not disappoint. We did not give up despite the big difference, we will fight, the goal is always to win, the championship is still far away.
Maribor is no worse than Olympia, » Krznar, who played most of his career with Dinamo Zagreb, confirmed.

Sven Shostaric Karic He was sent off in injury time in the first half. By that time, the game was torn, and there were many interruptions. Even with eleven players on the field, Maribor did not threaten Matvey Vidovsk, who certainly expected more work.

« We didn’t simulate any attack. Of course, there was a lot of rolling and we also made a lot of mistakes. Already in the first half, when both teams had eleven players each, the rhythm of the match was not good. I expected a faster and more aggressive match from both sides. The tempo of the match was very slow,” explained the 50-year-old Maribor strategist, who watched the match from the stands this time.

It was difficult for him to sit in the stands

Alice Mertley And the Mikhail Micic they drove lilac. There was plenty of motivation on the bench, and there was certainly no shortage of desire.

« We already agreed on everything before the match. The preparation was long. I left the entire management of the match to the assistants. It was very difficult for me in the stands, because I could not influence, I sat away from the events. In the future, I will be more careful and not be punished anymore. I will never cross that training line again.” Krznar explained.

Imagine the Jubilee Round Mitrovic in a completely different way

Nemanja Mitrovic He celebrated his 30th birthday on Saturday. In the last minute of the usual part of the match, the ball hit his hand, which was not next to his body. Video referee mage jugwho upset the people of Maribor so much last week in the match against Cooper, called him the main distributor of Justice Dragoslav BericTo watch the tape on the touchline and decided the harshest penalty. The guests complained that the referee had not stopped work earlier due to an alleged foul on an Vipotnik in the middle of the field.

« It’s such a shame that there was this 11-meter penalty action. We were in attack, but we lost the ball. I wanted to protect myself, I opened a little too much and the ball hit my hand. It’s hard to say anything, the ball hit me and hit her stomach and arm. Watched by the VAR. » That was his decision. » The experienced defender said.

“It is difficult to play for more than 45 minutes with one player less, the opponent will create chances. In the second half we stuck to our agreements in defense and it was a pity that we conceded a goal from the most difficult penalty kick. I think we played well in defence. It is not easy to play a match that was interrupted several times. We are already used to this, as we already played such a match with Cuper last week. In the derby, there is extra motivation. You can also feel the extra tension among the fans. »

They will try to think of the size

The position in the ranking is very unfavorable for Maribor. There are seven rounds left until the end of the fall season, three of which will also take place during the World Championships in Qatar. There will be 16 more rounds in the spring, so as of February 11, another 48 will be available.

« We are 16 points behind, but above all we have to look at our game. We have to rise. We have to forget about the table and look at ourselves. There is already a cup match on Tuesday, which is very important for us. We are. » Mitrovic concluded.

Jug: We showed too little

If the score remained 0-0, he would be the main champion in the derby Southern Obi. The excellent goalkeeper made the Olympia strikers despair, even from the very favorite situations they failed to face.

« We didn’t show enough. We weren’t lucky with a red card. In the derby, small things were decided and this time everything went for Olympia. Not many things changed with one player less. We stood well in defense. In attack, we lacked high player, » He evaluated Jug in an interview with Val 202, who started the match for the first time after an injury to Sežana on April 23.

The next three league matches will be a big test

On Tuesday, the Marles Hiša – Limbuš Pekre team came to Ljudska vrt in the cup competition, followed by championship matches against Domžale, Celje and Mura. Maribor already has six defeats, and in last year’s championship season it lost only eight times in 36 rounds.

After Zahovic’s departure, the derby matches are followed by green and white notes

When he was in charge of personnel policy under Calvariga Zlatko Zahović, Maribor has always found the right answer when the position in the table is bad. A lot has changed in the past two and a half years. Zahovic liked to boast that he rarely loses in Ljubljana (only in August 2011 and March 2014 Maribor lost in Stožice). After his departure, the derby scales tilted heavily in Olympia’s favour, though green and white They haven’t won a national title in four years.