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Resilience and pressure: Austria Vienna's Ortlechner demands a clear reaction!
Wiener Austria is fighting for resilience after three defeats in the Bundesliga. Sports director Ortlechner calls for crisis management and adaptation.
Resilience and pressure: Austria Vienna's Ortlechner demands a clear reaction!
Wiener Austria is in the middle of a difficult phase of the 2025/26 Bundesliga season. After a disappointing record of just one point from four rounds of games and three defeats in a row, the pressure on the traditional club is enormous. The situation is further exacerbated by the early elimination from the ÖFB Cup and the UEFA Conference League qualification. Sports director Manuel Ortlechner has now reacted to these challenges in the Sky Sport Austria program “Talk & Tore” and emphasized that it is time to take tough action. In his opinion, “brutality, uncompromising and consistency” are required to bring about change, reports League portal.
In his assessment, Ortlechner expressed concerns about the start of the season and the need for effective crisis management. He appealed to the players to need support to fight their way out of this slump. In his opinion, resilience and strong leaders are crucial to the team's success.
Personnel changes and challenges
A central topic was also the departure of Dominik Fitz, a homegrown player from Austria, who left the club for MLS. Ortlechner made it clear that this sale was not an emergency sale, but had been prepared for weeks. Fitz had expressed no desire to extend his contract, forcing him to leave. The transfer fee was considered sufficient by the club, especially considering his remaining term Laola1.
Fitz, who will soon be celebrating his 24th birthday, has already proven his worth this season. With eight goals and twelve assists, he is the team's best scorer and shares this position with Haris Tabakovic. Coach Wimmer described Fitz as an outstanding kicker and difference player who performs all standard situations for the team and has developed personally. His insecurities in the past, including during coaching changes and injuries, now seem to have been overcome.
The sporting situation at a glance
Austria has several construction sites that need to be addressed. Ortlechner emphasized that the interest in further sales primarily revolves around players like Fitz, Malone and Barry. The current situation is tricky and requires quick action so that the club doesn't continue to slide through the bottom of the table.
Current match days show that the competition is not sleeping: FC Bayern Munich overwhelmed Rasenballsport Leipzig with a 6-0, while other matches also delivered exciting results, such as Union Berlin's 2-1 against VfB Stuttgart or Bayer 04 Leverkusen's 1-3 defeat against TSG Hoffenheim last weekend, according to bundesliga-statistics.de.
Looking at the upcoming games, the question remains whether Vienna Austria can make the necessary turnaround or whether the challenges are too overwhelming. In any case, Ortlechner remains optimistic and hopes that the integration of players from his own youth like Sanel Saljic and a return to old strengths could be the key to success.