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‘We play with too much respect!’ Salzburg’s Marsch delivered rousing bilingual team talk against Liverpool

Salzburg came from three goals down to level the game at 3-3 before Mohamed Salah scored Liverpool’s winner

Harry Latham-Coyle
Friday 04 October 2019 16:34 BST
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Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch gives inspirational team talk

Red Bull Salzburg have revealed what manager Jesse Marsch said to his side at half-time to inspire their comeback against Liverpool.

Although they eventually fell 4-3 to the defending champions, Marsch’s team fought back from 3-0 down to level the game at 3-3 and nearly secure a famous Champions League draw.

And Marsch’s remarkable half-time team talk to inspire them there has now been released, urging his side to stop showing their opponents so much respect.

“Be more ruthless against Van Dijk, we play with too much respect. Too much respect,” Marsch says in a speech delivered in both German and English.

“Are they strong? Yes. But it doesn’t mean that we should be nice to them and don’t tackle them or fight.

“They have to feel us guys, they have to know we’re f*****g here to compete, not just that we’re here to stylistically going to try and play the same way, but we came to f*****g play.”

Liverpool jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first 36 minutes, before Hwang Hee-chan replied for the Austrians just before half-time.

It was at this point that Marsch delivered his team talk, urging his side to take the fight to Liverpool.

It worked – Takumi Minamino and Erling Haaland levelled things up for Salzburg just after the interval.

Despite Mohamed Salah scoring the winner soon after, Marsch has been widely praised for his half-time instructions, and the passionate manner in which they were delivered.

“We’re going to talk about tactics but when we step on to that field with more confidence and will. Now it’s us against them, “ Marsch continues, displaying his bilingualism.

“Let’s f*****g raise our will, our fight.

“We’ve seen that they are strong but we can do better and breathe life into our game.

“Self-confidence, physicality, that’s what it’s all about.

“They are not so dangerous with set-pieces.

“Come on, we have more to offer.”

Marsch, 45, is a former American international.

He previously worked for two other clubs affiliated with Red Bull – first in New York and then at Leipzig last season.

Taking the reins at Salzburg ahead of this season, he has started his coaching career in Austria by guiding his side to eight wins and a draw from their first nine games in the Austrian Bundesliga, and Salzburg opened their Champions League campaign with an impressive 6-2 victory over Genk.

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