FK Žalgiris Vilnius will face Hajduk Split in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League third qualifying round tie on Thursday. Ahead of the decisive encounter in Split, FK Žalgiris head coach Andrius Skerla said his side will aim to perform significantly better than they did in Vilnius and make the most of the rare opportunity to play in such an atmosphere.
FK Žalgiris suffered a 5-2 defeat in the first leg. According to Skerla, the team spent the past week analysing the reasons behind the disappointing result in detail.
“It wasn’t what we had talked about before the match – that perhaps the opponents would underestimate us or that the pitch would not suit them. Everything suited them, and they showed that from the very first minutes. When faced with their pressing, we made serious mistakes and couldn’t keep up with their quick players. You can analyse them and give advice to the players, but on the pitch, against opponents like these, you have to deal with them yourself. We failed to do that,” Skerla said.
The FK Žalgiris coach believes his team gave Hajduk too much freedom in midfield during the opening half, although the visitors managed to regain control of the game for a period after Hajduk missed their second penalty.
“We had 10-15 better minutes and created several chances. However, the goal we conceded just before half-time gave Hajduk even more enthusiasm. After their third goal, there was a period when our team lost a little of its composure. We all expected to perform better, but it didn’t happen. At least it was positive that we recovered towards the end of the match. We wanted to attack, scored a second goal and created further opportunities. We didn’t give up, but the result ahead of the second leg is a significant one. We have to accept it, learn from our mistakes and make sure we don’t repeat them,” the coach said.
Earlier in this European campaign, FK Žalgiris successfully overturned a three-goal deficit against Dinamo Tbilisi. However, Skerla stressed that the two situations should not be directly compared.
“That was a miracle, and such things don’t happen often. Hajduk are a completely different team. It would be difficult to say now that we are expecting another miracle. I watched the match and I know who we are playing against. Miracles sometimes happen, but usually when you don’t expect them,” Skerla said.
Focus on organisation and concentration
Skerla identified improved organisation and concentration as the team’s primary objectives in Split.
“First of all, we want to prove to ourselves that we can be better organised, that we can avoid losing so many duels, be more focused at certain moments and in set-piece situations. We want to show that we are a better team and that the result of the first match does not reflect what we are actually capable of achieving,” the FK Žalgiris coach said.
Despite Hajduk’s commanding advantage, Skerla does not expect the Croatian side to take their foot off the gas in the second leg.
“Their fans don’t allow them to. We can see the pressure the team faces after every defeat or draw – everyone expects them to win. They have made it clear that Europe is very important to them. After many years, they have a real opportunity to reach the main stage, so I have no doubt they will not relax or make major changes to their line-up. We have to be prepared for them to want to show their full strength,” he said.
The FK Žalgiris coach also wants his team to remain ambitious in attack while maintaining a better balance between the two phases of the game.
“I would like the team to attack and score goals. We do score, but at the same time we concede too many. We want to play more balanced football rather than blindly running forward and forgetting about defending. Against a team like this, there may be periods when we are forced to defend very deep. They will have more possession, that’s a fact. However, we have to make the most of the moments when we have the ball. I believe that then we will be aggressive and create chances,” Skerla said.
A rare opportunity at Poljud
Skerla is already familiar with the atmosphere at Poljud, having visited the stadium when his friend Valdas Dambrauskas was in charge of Hajduk.
“I watched the training sessions and saw how Valdas worked here, and I really liked the way Hajduk played at the time. I also watched matches at this stadium and experienced its atmosphere. We are not used to playing in stadiums like this, and opportunities like this do not come around often. We want to embrace the experience and play a good match,” the Žalgiris coach said.
