Ex-Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders' torrid time in Austria is continuing - as his Salzburg side were on the wrong end of another drubbing.

Last season's double winners in Austria, Sturm Graz, doled out a 5-0 battering of Red Bull Salzburg on Sunday afternoon, with Lijnders' visiting team already down by two goals at half-time.

Danish striker Mika Biereth was the key man as he netted a hat-trick against the hapless Salzburg, with on-loan Stefan Bajcetic having an afternoon to forget as ex-Red Bobby Clark was also introduced partway through the second half.

How Pep Lijnders has been embarrassed time and time again It has been a difficult run of form for Lijnders and Salzburg since the start of September, with just two victories in the seven games they have played and having lost 3-0 to Sparta Prague and 4-0 to Brest in the Champions League.

There has been increasing disquiet around Lijnders' decision to favour Bajcetic and Clark, who he was instrumental in bringing in having worked with them at Liverpool along with much of the backroom staff, also brought to Salzburg from Anfield.

It does not look like the fixtures will get any easier for Salzburg, at least in the Champions League, as they also have to face teams such as Leverkusen, Paris Saint-Germain and both Madrid clubs prior to the conclusion of the league phase.

These heavy defeats sit somewhat in contrast to Salzburg's early season form, especially when you consider that a solid defence had been a feature of the initial weeks of their season, defender Kamil Piatkowski even named fans' player of the month for August.

However, those clean sheets have disappeared and the growing unrest around Lijnders looks sure to continue as his dream start in Austria is rapidly turning into a nightmare.