Dejan Stankovic defended Derrick Luckassen: "I would do it again"
The Red Star coach claimed he did not make a mistake when starting against Hapoel Be'er Sheva with the former Maccabi Tel Aviv player, despite the error: "A wonderful and experienced player, it will be much better in the second leg."
Red Star Belgrade is still trying to digest the 1-0 loss it suffered against Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Tuesday. In Serbia, among other things, critics questioned the decision of coach Dejan Stankovic to start with Derrick Luckassen just a few days after he began training — a decision that did not prove successful, as the defender was responsible for the decisive goal by Zahi Ahmed.
"We know what kind of player he is, and this mistake happened. We had problems moving the ball, but a few times we managed to build a good attack from the defensive line," said Stankovic. "I take responsibility; I chose the players who would start. Let's summarize the Luckassen story. He is a wonderful and experienced player who arrived tired from the World Cup. In the second leg, I will have him in much better condition. If I had to choose again, I would put him in the lineup. He was better in the second half."
Regarding the game itself, the Serbian coach said: "We needed to make better decisions against their low formation. We deserved to score at least one goal, but it doesn't matter, because there is also a second leg. We will be better. We all have to look much better. It's not a pleasant feeling. I expected us to score at least one or two goals. They are fast and very organized. We will need to show our true ability in the second leg."
In his three previous attempts, Stankovic failed to lead a team to the Champions League. When asked about this, he replied: "There is always pressure at Red Star. Football will not stop if I don't qualify for the Champions League on the fourth attempt either, but we will do our best. Now, after we have gotten to know them, we must be much better."
