Pepijn Lijnders could be facing a critical situation at Salzburg already, with sources in Austria claiming the squad are unhappy with his use of Stefan Bajcetic.
Bajcetic joined Salzburg at the end of the summer transfer window, and his debut for the Austrian side was delayed further by his wait for a visa.
Since then, though, the Liverpool loanee has been a key player, starting three of the five games he has been available for and coming off the bench in another.
The only game he has sat out was against third-tier SC Wiener Viktoria in the OFB-Cup, with it clear that Bajcetic is one of Lijnders’ favourites.
It should come as no surprise that the Dutchman, who left Liverpool to take over Salzburg after Jurgen Klopp‘s exit, holds both Bajcetic and permanent signing Bobby Clark in high regard.
But according to Austrian newspaper the Krone, his preference for the duo has led to “astonishment” from their teammates.
It is claimed that they “have not yet impressed in sporting terms,” and “some players have recently been puzzled about starting XI call-ups.”
This comes after right-back Amar Dedic told reporters after the 4-0 loss to Brest in the Champions League in midweek that: “I won’t say the reasons now, but there are certainly reasons.”
Salzburg earned their place in the Champions League proper after overcoming FC Twente and Dynamo Kyiv in the qualifiers, both of which Bajcetic and Clark were not involved for.
Their swift installation to the starting lineup for the league phase opener against Sparta Prague – a 3-0 defeat – has seemingly frustrated some of their peers.
Clark has started both games against Sparta and Brest while coming off the bench in the two league fixtures against WSG Tirol and Austrian Wien, as well as playing the full 90 minutes in the cup win over Wiener Viktoria.
Lijnders under pressure already
While the Krone‘s report could imply animosity towards Bajcetic and Clark themselves, it is more likely that the onus falls on Lijnders instead.
A popular appointment upon his arrival in Austria earlier in the summer, a miserable start to the Champions League campaign – sitting 34th in the 36-team table – has already led to doubts over his future.
Bajcetic’s status as a Liverpool player, and Lijnders’ long-standing relationship with both him and Clark, was always likely to lead to suggestions of bias if things did not pan out as hoped.
The hope will be that all involved can turn a corner swiftly, as in theory it is a setup which should benefit Liverpool and their loanee greatly.
