Mit einem 5:2 (1:0)-Heimsieg gegen Hartberg steht der SK Rapid im ÖFB Cup-Halbfinale. Als Gegner zog Österreichs U 21-Coach Werner Gregoritsch jedoch nicht den Regionalligisten GAK, sondern den LASK, der mit 6:0 gegen St. Pölten das Semifinale im österreichischen Cup erreicht hat – noch dazu auswärts.
Im Cupfinale in der Wiener Generali Arena am 1. Mai würde im Erfolgsfall wohl RB Salzburg warten, das gegen den GAK in Graz ausgelost wurde und damit, ohne in diesem Bewerb einen Bundesligaklub ausgeschaltet zu haben, ins Finale kommen kann (und wird).
Das Semifinale gegen die Linzer, die im Paschinger Waldstadion spielen, wird Anfang April eine ganz schwere Aufgabe für Didi Kühbauers Truppe! Aber vorher stehen dem SK Rapid mit dem Europa League Rückspiel in Mailand und dem Spiel gegen RB Salzburg noch weitere „Kracher“ ins Haus. Und ein fast aussichtslos scheinender Kampf, in nur mehr vier Spielen vom 8. Platz noch ins obere Play-Off zu kommen: 6 Punkte Rückstand auf den dafür notwendigen sechsten Platz in der Tabelle und eine für Rapid untypische negative Tordifferenz von -8 machen das Erreichen des ersten Meister-Play-Offs im neuen österreichischen Ligasystem zu einer “uphill battle”.
Schwere und spannende Wochen für den SK Rapid, der gegen Hartberg am Sonntag jedenfalls stark verbessert wirkte! Jetzt muss Rapid zeigen, dass Kühbauer, der letzten Oktober nach der Entlassung von Goran Djuricin zu Rapid gekommen ist, die erste Vorbereitungszeit mit seiner Mannschaft genützt und den Burschen wieder den Rapidgeist eingeimpft hat! Mit den 5 Treffern haben wir jedenfalls wieder einen ersten Hauch der “Kanoniere” von einst gespürt.
Wie sagte Dionys Schönecker (Bild: Porträt des “Mr. Rapid“ [1888–1938] auf einer Fahne im “Block West“):
Für die Zuschauer und den SK Rapid war es keine magische “European Night” gegen Inter Mailand.
Dem im Allianz Stadion mehrmals zu lesenden Motto von “Mister Rapid” Dionys Schönecker, “Gemeinsam. Kämpfen. Siegen”, konnte der SK Rapid diesmal nur teilweise entsprechen. Die “Nerazzuri” gewannen in Hütteldorf mit 1:0.
Für Rapid gab es nur ein Abseitstor, ein paar Chancen in Hälfte 2 und eine tolle Stadion-Choreografie (siehe Foto unten).
Das Rückspiel im Meazza Stadion steigt am Donnerstag um 21 Uhr in einer Woche!
Die Chance für das Rückspiel lebt zwar noch, denn ein 0:1 kann man aufholen. Realistisch betrachtet heißt es aber: Ciao, Europa League!
Wirklich wichtig ist nun am Sonntag der Aufstieg ins Cup-Semifinale! Auf geht‘s Rapid: Gemeinsam. Kämpfen. Siegen.
Nochmals: Gemeinsam. Kämpfen. Siegen !!!
Wahnsinn! Tolle Choreographie, erstmals im neuen Stadion über drei Tribünen, in der 12. Minute
Nach der langen Winterpause startet der SK Rapid gleich mit zwei K.O. Spielen: am Donnerstag in der EL gegen Inter Mailand, und am Sonntag geht es um den Einzug ins ÖFB Cup-Semifinale gegen Hartberg. Beide Spiele finden daheim im Hütteldorfer Weststadion statt.
Die Runde der letzten 32 in derUEFA Europa League bringt am Valentinstag einen Hauch von Champions League nach Hütteldorf: 2010 gewann Inter unter JoseMourinho die CL (mit dem nicht eingesetzten Kaderspieler MarkoArnautovic, aktuell bekanntlich bei West Ham United!). 1964 und 1965 gewannen die Italiener den Meistercup, außerdem gewann Inter dreimal den UEFA Cup, die FIFA Klubweltmeisterschaft (2010), 18Mal den nationalen Meistertitel und siebenMal den italienischen Pokal.
Ein richtiger Hochkaräter des internationalen Fußballs also, der hier mit seinem TrainerLuciano_Spalletti nach Wien kommt! Vor vielen Jahren spielte FK Austria Legende Herbert “Schneckerl” Prohaska für die “Nerazzuri“ (1980-82) und gewann den italienischen Cup mit den Mailändern. Heute stehen beim aktuell Dritten der Serie A unter anderem die WM-Finalisten Ivan Perisic und MarceloBrozovic im Kader, Letzterer ist allerdings im Hinspiel in Wien gesperrt. Auch Superstar MauroIcardi (ARG) wird in Wien sicher nichtdabeisein: er hält Inter bei den Vertragsverhandlungen hin, ihm wurde sogar die Kapitänschleife entzogen!
Klar, dass diese Mannschaft Favorit gegen Rapid ist. Rapid-Trainer DidiKühbauermeint: “Sie werden wohl einige Spieler nicht aufbieten, bleiben aber, egal wer spielt, immer noch der Favorit. Alle, die letztendlich spielen, werden ihre Klasse zeigen wollen. Für uns wird es somit entscheidend sein, nicht einzelne Namen, sondern Inter als Mannschaft sportlich zu bekämpfen.”
Rapid will den Italienern alles abverlangen, selbst alles geben, um auch für das Rückspiel in einer Woche in Mailand alle Möglichkeiten offen zu halten. “Das ist das Schöne, dass man nie weiß, was in solchen Partien passiert. Wir haben die Chance, einen großen Gegner in die Knie zu zwingen, und um zu beweisen, dass wir Inter fordern können. Das muss einfach unser Anspruch sein”, betonte Cheftrainer Kühbauer auf der Pressekonferenz vor dem Schlager: “Wir wollen mit dem Kopf und den Füßen arbeiten und mit dieser Einstellung schon ins Spiel hineingehen, wo man überzeugt ist, etwas schaffen zu können.”
Rapid hat zum zweiten Mal den Aufstieg aus der Gruppenphase geschafft, sich dieses K.O. Spiel mit tollen, magischen Europa League Abenden (in einem sonst gar nicht gut verlaufenen Herbst) erarbeitet!
Und hat vielleicht auch noch eine übergeordnete Rechnung mit der Europa League offen: “Auch, wenn es ein völlig anderes Spiel war, aber als wir vor drei Jahren gegen Valencia brutal ausgeschieden sind – wir wollen zeigen, dass wir als Mannschaft auch in einer solchen Phase des Bewerbs noch bestehen können”, hob Kapitän Stefan Schwab hervor: “Für uns sind diese Spiele schließlich ein absolutes Highlight.”
Und das wird es hoffentlich für uns alle und wir erleben wieder eine magische “European night“ in Hütteldorf: auf geht’s, Rapid! Come on you boys in green!
Egal, mit wem man derzeit über den englischen Fußball spricht, ein Wunsch scheint bei den allermeisten Fußballfans an erster Stelle zu stehen, fast unabhängig davon, welchem Klub man selbst anhängt: der FC Liverpool möge endlich wieder Meister werden!
Die “Reds” hatten in dieser Saison schon einen komfortablen Vorsprung auf Vorjajhresmeister und Liga-Krösus Manchester City herausgeholt. Sieben Punkte waren sie zu Jahresbeginn vorne, bevor Manchester City die “Merseysiders” am 3. Jänner mit 2:1 besiegte und Jürgen Klopp damit die erste – und bisher letzte – Niederlage in dieser Premier-League-Saison zufügte. Und am Mittwoch Abend könnte erstmals wieder Manchester City an der Tabellenspitze stehen, wenn die “Citizens” das vorgezogene Spiel auswärts gegen Everton gewinnen sollten.
2019 lief bisher nicht optimal für Liverpool. Nach der 1:2-Niederlage in Manchester flog Liverpool – wieder mit 1:2 – gegen Wolverhampton aus dem FA Cup. Und Klopps Mannen zeigen nun auch in der Liga Nerven: zuletzt gab es zwei 1:1 gegen Leicester und West Ham.
Wegen des Ligacup-Finales am 24. Februar gegen Chelsea wird Manchester City’s Spiel der 27. Runde gegen den FC Everton vorgezogen und damit haben die “Sky Blues” ab nun ein Spiel mehr ausgetragen. Pep Guardiolas Team kann mit diesem “game in hand” und der besseren Tordifferenz den FC Liverpool überholen und über die “international break” hinaus von der Tabellenspitze lachen, bis sich Ende Februar dieser Vorteil wieder ausgleicht.
Auf Liverpool wartet dann im März aber noch ein weiterer Nervenkitzel auf dem Weg zum ersten Titel seit 1990. Im nächsten Monat spielt in jeder Runde Manchester City zuerst, dann erst Liverpool. Die “Citizens” könnten also Woche für Woche vorlegen und Liverpool weiter unter Druck setzen.
Droht Jürgen Klopp das selbe Schicksal wie Brendan Rodgers im Frühling 2014? In den letzten Runden rutschte damals nicht nur Stephen Gerrard aus, sondern das ganze Team und verspielte noch den Meistertitel. Den gewann Manchester City! Deren Manager: Der nunmehrige West Ham-Coach Manuel Pellegrini.
Trotzdem, auch für mich gilt: ”Ceterum censeo: heuer soll’s Liverpool endlich schaffen!“
“This match demonstrated why football is the world’s greatest game. It had everything – passion, skill, determination and total commitment.
Not one Iron left anything out there at all – they all ran to the last drop of sweat – we ask for nothing more.
Thank you West Ham – every one of you.”
West Ham 1 Liverpool 1 Goals: Antonio (assisted by a brilliant pass from a Felipe Anderson free-kick); Mané (blatant offside in the build-up)
Declan Rice, who had a bad game at the start of the season in the reverse fixture at Liverpool, put in again an imperious performance in midfield.
He told www.whufc.com: “Without a doubt, we were excellent. We missed some great chances, me included, and I was gutted with that, but I think you saw, to a man, we knew the shape, we worked hard, we got the point and it could have been all three.
“I think you saw us walking off the pitch, we were knackered, but that was the hard work we put in and the hard work we put in on the training field since the Wolves defeat.
We were disappointed not to pick up three points but we look forward to Palace now and we’ll try to go and pick up something there.
“The spirit is flying now and we need to push. Palace is going to be a tough place to go but we’re confident.”
For Rice, his assured display was surely redemption on a personal level too for the Anfield experience back in summer 2018.
This was the night that will be remembered when the younger West Ham generation relate their worst ever experiences to the next one. For me it is a second disaster within 6 weeks, because I already had to experience a similar humiliation with Rapid Vienna when they lost 1-6 against Austria Vienna before Christmas.
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini said his side’s 2-4 (0-2) defeat by AFC Wimbledon was a “disaster” as the League One side pulled off a stunning FA Cup shock to reach the fifth round.
The Dons, bottom of the third tier of English football, surged into a 3-0 lead against the Premier League side courtesy of Kwesi Appiah‘s deflected strike and Scott Wagstaff‘s double either side of half-time.
Pellegrini made a triple substitution at the break in an attempt to get back into the game and saw two of his changes – Lucas Perez (on for a really bad Andy Carroll) and Felipe Anderson (on for an also bad Pedro Obiang) – score to make it 3-2.
But AFC Wimbledon, who were beaten 3-0 at home by Fleetwood in their last league game on Tuesday, continued to push men forward and put the seal on a famous victory courtesy of Toby Sibbick‘s late close-range header, sparking scenes of jubilation among the home crowd and leaving Pellegrini furious, whereas Dons manager Wally Downes, a former assistant manager at West Ham, celebrated a famous win. “Thank you, my old friends at West Ham”, Downes (who worked as a defensive coach under Avram Grant and Sam Allardyce from 2010 to 2012) could say, “for giving my side a much needed boost”. Wimbledon are bottom of League One.
The only positive on a night to forget was that less than an hour after the game it emerged that Marko Arnautovic had signed a contract extension and told the West Ham faithful on the official site that he would give his all for West Ham in the upcoming matches against Wolves and Liverpool.
The technical ability, the understanding of the game and the shrewdness and guile of Arnie will be desperately needed when the Hammers want to put that horror show (starring in particular “Mr Clumsy” Andy Carroll) behind them. Pellegrini got the tactics wrong (again) against the Dons (as he had also done in the last game in the league against Bournemouth), and he shouldn’t play Andy Carroll ever again. This kind of forward is not suited to play in West Ham’s team as it has been set up tactically by Pelle. I opt for a frontline Arnie – Samir Nasri – Anderson; that one should work and bring back happiness to a club which apparently has disaster in his genes – no matter who’s the current manager.
Arnautovic: I want to stop the talking, I’m hungry to play and score more goals
In an unforeseen move Mr Marko Arnautović has told the West Ham fans that he will not leave the club in this transfer window.
On a day on which it was widely reported that Uruguayan forward Maxi Gomez from Celta de Vigo was on his way to London, Arnie announced on his Instagram account that he was going to stay at West Ham.
Well, I am ready to forgive him, call him “Arnie” again, and put this whole “Chinagate”, in which in my opinion his brother was the predominant driving figure, behind us.
Let’s hope Arnie soon will be in the right state of mind again to be in the match day squad, and will start scoring again. As I said in a previous article, Samir Nasri, Arnie and Felipe Anderson could be a real threat in West Ham’s attack, “three musketeers” that slice through the opponents’ defence and will give us a lot to applaud for!
Chinese Super League side Guangzhou Evergrande is reported to have pulled out of a £45m deal for West Ham striker Marko Arnautovic, claimsThe Daily Mail.
Arnautovic had been left out of the squad for West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday. His brother Danijel had said that Arnie wanted to go to China “to win trophies”, which seem to have been in his mind’s eyes already and have distracted him from proper preparation for the away game against Bournemouth.
But now his and his brother’s attempt to transfer him for £35m or even£45m to Fabio Cannavaro’s Chinese side and bank wages in the region of £280,000-a-week seems to have failed as it is said that the Chinese Super League outfit pulled the plug on a deal on Saturday evening.
Now we’ll see if the Austrian player will be level-headed and professional enough to honour his contract with West Ham and wait for an other chance to sign a lucrative deal elsewhere in summer. As I have written a week ago, I don’t think he’ll go on strike, but it will be some task for manager Manuel Pellegrini to reintegrate the sometimes volatile Arnautovic back into the squad, and we’ll see if he can win over fans that he waved goodbye to at the London Stadium just over a week ago.
Well, I hope Arnie will prove his critics wrong and continue to play well at West Ham for the remainder of the season. Then, in the summer, he could leave with his head high, maybe for a better club than just some Chinese outfit.
Though I have to say that it’s really difficult to understand why anyone wanted to go to China when we all know West Ham have the best Rice? 😂 … and we all know that West Ham is an “exceptional club” (as Austrian newspaper KURIER admitted in an article on the Arnautovic saga on Sunday).
With their big, world wide fanbase and an attendance of 57,000 in every single match at the London Stadium (a capacity which could rise to 60,000 in the near future) they really are a special club and there are just nine clubs in Europe that entertain a bigger crowd in their home games.
Let’s hope we’ll see Arnautovic back in a claret and blue shirt in front of these dedicated support, home and away, within the next weeks. Next game is the away tie against Wimbledon in the FA Cup, a trophy West Ham could still win with Arnie this season!
We came over from Austria last weekend and were able to watch an other game in the London Stadium. Well, I love coming to London, and it seems West Ham does appreciate my presence too, because all of the last three games I was able to attend this season have been wins for the Irons!
This weekend also would have been the right time “to have a word” with my compatriot who doesn’t seem to be so enthusiastic anymore about staying in London as I am. But unfortunately immediately after the game Arnie left for Vienna, whereas we’re going to stay in London until Tuesday!
Witnessing history
Well, it seems the games that I have picked for my visits to the London Stadium since West Ham’s move to Stratford, are frequently going to be remembered for something special: Last season I watched Slaven Bilic’s last game and Marko Arnautovic’s first goal there. This season I’ve already witnessed Felipe Anderson’s first brace for the Hammers in the win over Burnley. And now maybe (I still say “maybe” as I don’t want to take it for sure) I came back for Arnie’s last game in this stadium.
But forget about that! We’ve all witnessed a very different, really bright and joyous moment in West Ham’s history on Saturday lunch time. This game will not be remembered because of a forward saying good-bye, but will forever have its special place in the history books for a young man’s first Premier League goal which sealed a first win at home over Arsenal since 2006! It’s this game that marks an other giant step forward for Declan Rice grabbing all the headlines in the Sunday papers with a majestic man of the match performance, just two days before his twentieth birthday. “Rice and shine”! What a bright future lies ahead for this graduate from our Academy.
This game was also another big step forward for Manuel Pellegrini’s side which played really self-assured and mature against a team they had not beaten at home for more than 12 years. “We played like a big team in the Arsenal win,” the gaffer said after the 1-0 victory, and he couldn’t be more right.
It’s still old West Ham of course, but it’s not “poor old West Ham” that would have conceded an equaliser in injury time, squandering all the good work of the 90 minutes before. Arsenal actually had the ball in the back of the net in the 94th minute, but that goal was ruled out immediately for an offside so blatant that this fact was hardly mentioned in any of the match reports. And just seconds later the referee blew the whistle, and everybody was all but happy in the London Stadium, which this afternoon had been left early only by the folks occupying the away section that had been fairly quiet throughout the game.
It’s getting better all the time
It was a brilliant match day experience, like the one I had enjoyed on my last visits to the Burnley and the Crystal Palace games this season! In my opinion the match day experience in general is getting better and better now in this third year in the new stadium which of course is helped by the team playing so well – and also by the increasing number of food stalls outside the stadium.
I usually get to the stadium from Hackney Wick to avoid the overcrowded Stratford not paying so much attention to the food facilities. But with the lunchtime kick-off we came earlier, first strolled through Westfield before the game and arrived at the concourse much in time. That also gave us the opportunity to look for my ”RapidHammer stone” on Champions’ Place in front of entrance “J” for once, but unfortunately I could not find the stone quick enough in the drizzling rain, and we decided to write to the club on this topic, because it seems that the stones haven’t been laid in the way I had been told when I bought mine.
The atmosphere inside the ground was great this time, and it was getting better and better throughout the game. It was a brilliant performance of our boys. Just the goal was scored too early after halftime as far as we were concerned, because unfortunately we were back to our seats too late, having queued for a drink for much too long.
A family club
Now that the troubles of last season are behind us, I think we can say that the crowd in the London Stadium is feeling more and more at home there, and that the club has retained (or maybe regained after a difficult transition period) its air of a “family club”. The family has grown bigger and moved to a new house to which we get more and more familiar, and it’s great to see that the house gets filled every time by the members of this worldwide family! Having chosen almost the same seats for all of our visits this season, we’re also feeling more and more like citizens coming home. Wouldn’t want to miss the young but very raucous voice just rows beneath us in every game, shouting “Come on you I’ons” when the place has gone too quiet now and then!
There are lots of families, old and young, and supporters from all over the world! Well, I think we long suffering lot really deserve that the team is playing so well now, rewarding this most committed and loyal support for their endurance and following over land and sea, to the Olympic Stadium on the shores of River Lea! A first home win over Arsenal since 2005, and Declan Rice’s first goal – we’ve witnessed history, who could ask for more this Saturday?
Declan’s goal and this fine win was a real gift, because we can take it easy now that my compatriot from Austria seems to cease sharing with me the love for London and the badge with the two crossed hammers, and is willing to replace one of the hammers by a sickle, with his brother and agent having already set sail for the Chinese Sea.
What could have been …
Of course it is sad that Arnautovic seems to have waved his good-bye right now, because this match really showed for the first (and maybe last) time what an offensive trio of Samir Nasri, Felipe Anderson and Arnie would have been capable of. There were some moments in this game when the three players who are gifted with technical ability and great understanding of the game combined so well that my heart jumped with joy!
Unfortunately I fear we will have to accept that these three musketeers will not be as inseparable as d’Artagnan and his friends were in the French writer Alexandre Dumas’s novel.
Having mentioned the phrase “French” now, a word on the possible similarities between Arnie and the unmentionable ex-player we lost two years ago: I don’t think that our Austrian forward will go on strike when negotiations stall and it takes time before the two clubs come to terms. He used to be some kind of an enfant terrible, and behaved like a stupid child in former years, but he has shown signs of having grown much more mature and level-headed in recent years since he’s married and father of two. So he should be professional enough to honour his contract as long as West Ham haven’t reached an agreement which enables them to bring in a fitting replacement (which will not be cheap, that’s for sure!).
Well, I can’t be sure of that of course, but it’s at least what I’m hoping for. But of course I know that “once a Hammer, always a Hammer” unfortunately only applies for the members of the worldwide family of supporters of claret and blue, it does not apply for the players (some of the former ones, and also of the present company excepted of course, Mark and Declan in particular!).
But no matter which players the squad will consist of in February and in the seasons to follow: it’s us, the claret and blue army, who will always remain West Ham through and through!
Dem im Allianz Stadion mehrmals zu lesenden Motto von “Mister Rapid” 
Die Runde der letzten 32 in der
EXTRA TIME 
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