From blogger to assistant with opponent Club Brugge: the very punishment story of this tactical mastermind

Europa League Club Bruges plays tonight against FC Salzburg in the sixteenth finals of the Europa League. On the field walk to the different attractions around the Austrians, such as the current EL-topschutter Moanes Dabour. But also on the bank of Jan Breydel will be a man with a story take a seat: René Maric, the assistant of head coach Marco Rose.

After the fourth consecutive title for Red Bull Salzburg was there in the summer of 2017 with a landslide take place in the technical staff of the first team. The Austrian ex-team of Massimo Bruno (now Charleroi, eds.) saw trainer Oscar Garcia to leave (the Spaniard is now coach at Olympiakos, red.) and, somewhat surprisingly, decided, ‘die Roten Bullen’ not to millions of lay it on the table for a new coach. The solution was in the private club sought and found: Marco Rose, then head coach of the U18, was appointed as head coach and the then barely 24-year-old René Maric was his assistant.

The U18 Red Bull Salzburg made under the direction of Rose and Maric impressed by the Youth League to win. In that tournament were the Austrians without any problems, the tactical variants: in the semi-finals FC Barcelona at the knees forced with firm pressing and high-speed countervoetbal and a few days later, it was Benfica in the final reports provided football. The tactical mastermind behind the Youth League-winner was especially Maric, who on Twitter like to be starred with the handsome actions of his team (see video below).

Maric, an Austrian with Croatian roots, breathe tactics. He stands with it on and sleeps. In the past, he wrote in-depth analyses for Spielverlagerung , originally as a blog of a bunch of college students without a lot of readers. But Maric was very impressed with his writing. Thomas Tuchel, now the coach of Paris Saint-Germain, asked him even to the opponents of Mainz to analyze it in 2012. Tuchel was impressed by an analysis of the then 19-year-old Maric of Mainz-Bayern.

Winning goal by our team yesterday. Players show great understanding of the system, and beautiful to watch. pic.twitter.com/RCLPe3D5ok

RM(@ ReneMaric) link

Gegenpressing and focus on trainerscarrière

For Spielverlagerung explained Maric, among others, what the benefits are of non-trivial game system as 3-6-1, or he described the different possible variations of gegenpressing, a way to create opportunities against good defensive teams, where, among others, Hoffenheim-success coach Julian Nagelsmann a huge fan of. Over the past few years, Maric, however, less written for the blog. The reason for this? He is going to focus on the trainerschap.

Except for Mainz, worked Maric in the past as well as scout for Bayer Leverkusen. As a trainer he first gained experience with amateur clubs and since 2016 he is active with Red Bull Salzburg. And last season was very good for Salzburg, which again became champion, and only to be killed in the semi-finals of the Europa League against Olympique Marseille due to a poor corner.

Also now leads Salzburg comfortably in the Austrian Bundesliga (Maric and co and lost, no point in the group stage of the Europa League, in a group with Celtic Glasgow, RB Leipzig and the Norwegian Rosenborg. At Jan Breydel they are warned...