LASK's Title Defense: Strong Start but Room for Improvement
LASK’s title defence is up and running. Six points from six, another clean sheet, Austria Wien beaten 2-0, and the champions already back in a familiar position near the top of the Admiral Bundesliga.
Yet as the players left the Raiffeisen Arena on Sunday, there was no sense of a team basking in early-season comfort. Not with Celtic looming on the horizon and a place in the Champions League group stage at stake.
Winning, but not yet convincing
On paper, the victory over Austria Wien looked routine. LASK, favourites on home turf, controlled large spells, did enough in both boxes, and walked away with what every champion craves on opening weekends: three points and no drama.
On the pitch, though, Lukas Jungwirth saw something different. The goalkeeper, who has already grown into one of the louder voices in this LASK dressing room, was in no mood to gloss over the flaws.
“Around the time of the offside goal, we relied too much on possession and weren't mentally prepared for Austria's counter-attacks,” he said, speaking via Daily Record after the game. That is not the language of a player satisfied with a gentle warm-up. That is a warning.
There was another sting in his assessment: “We also need to be more clinical at the end; we might be punished for that against other opponents.”
Other opponents. Everyone around LASK knows exactly who that means.
Celtic on the horizon
The Austrian champions will soon swap domestic duties for a very different kind of test. First leg at Celtic Park, return in Linz. A Champions League play-off that will define the early shape of their season.
Celtic arrive with an attack that looks far sharper than it did a few months ago. Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran have already been drafted into Martin O'Neill’s squad, with Haissem Hassan expected to deepen the forward line even further. For a goalkeeper who just watched his side switch off in transition and pass up chances to kill a game, that is a serious concern.
Jungwirth did not mention Celtic by name. He did not need to. The subtext was clear: the lapses that Austria Wien could not fully exploit would be seized upon by a frontline of higher quality and greater speed.
At Celtic Park, a few lazy passes in midfield or a moment’s hesitation on the break can turn a comfortable evening into a long, punishing one. LASK’s grip on possession, which felt safe enough against Austria Wien, will come under far more aggressive pressure in Glasgow.
Standards of champions
None of this means panic. Inside the LASK camp, belief remains strong. They did, after all, finish ahead of Sturm Graz to claim the title last season, showing resilience and consistency when it mattered most. Those habits do not disappear over one imperfect performance.
Jungwirth’s tone reflected that balance. Critical, yes, but not gloomy. Demanding, not defeatist.
“I think if you go home with a 2-0 win as the favourites, you can definitely be satisfied,” he added.
Satisfied with the result, not the standard. That distinction is exactly what separates a team happy to be champions from one determined to stay that way and make a dent in Europe.
The message to his teammates was simple: enjoy the win, but don’t kid yourselves. The concentration dips around that disallowed goal, the casual spells in possession, the wastefulness in front of goal – those are the cracks that a side like Celtic will aim to rip wide open.
From Linz to the European stage
For now, the table says everything is fine. Two games, two wins, a clean sheet against one of Austria’s traditional names. The Raiffeisen Arena has already seen the choreographies, the noise, the champions’ swagger. Like the phoenix imagery that coloured the stands, LASK look ready to rise again.
But the real measure is coming. A hostile Celtic Park, a revamped Hoops attack, and 90 minutes where every mistake will carry a price.
Jungwirth has drawn the line early in the season. LASK can keep winning like this in the league for a while. In the Champions League play-off, they will need more than that.
