In Domžale, there was a surprising sight in Maribor’s defense, as Aleks Pihler played as a ‘center-back’: “He’s been training in this position for over a month now”
Photo: Nik Moder / Sportida
After finding themselves on the sidelines with three central defenders (alongside Nemanja Mitrović and Luka Uskoković, young Lan Vidmar as well), Ante Šimundža, the coach of Maribor, was almost forced into an experiment, which, truth be told, turned out well. Ante Šimundža could have opted for a young player from the youth team, but he favored experience. Well, Aleks Pihler is indeed experienced, but truth be told, he’s not a defender. Additionally, the midfielder hadn’t played for a long time, so Ante Šimundža undoubtedly took a risk.
However, Aleks Pihler made good use of the opportunity offered; his performance on the field at Kamniška Bistrica was satisfactory even for the coach of the Styrian giants, who parted ways with the ‘yellow family’ with a 1-1 draw.
“Aleks Pihler has been training in this position for about a month now due to circumstances, so the information wasn’t unfamiliar to him. He performed at the level expected of him, adapting well with the experience he has. From that perspective, the assessment is positive,” Ante Šimundža told the club’s website.
It’s worth noting that the 30-year-old Aleks Pihler played his first match of the year in Domžale! Prior to this, he was last in action last December in a match against Koper (3-3), and then he only made the extended squad for Maribor’s games…
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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