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The German on the sidelines of the Austrian national team is convincing – and gives hope to a whole nation.
Legend:
It should go forward
Ralf Rangnick also sets the direction in training.
KEYSTONE/APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH
What his compatriot and predecessor Franco Foda failed to do in 48 games worked under Ralf Rangnick at the first attempt: the German led the Austrian team as “team boss” in Croatia to their first win in a competitive game against a higher-ranked opponent.
A country hungers for more
The well-deserved 3-0 away win against the runner-up world champions was balm for the football soul of Austria, who had had to digest another blow to the neck after missing the World Cup qualification. The national press celebrated their messiah all the more exuberantly after his coup at the start: in addition to terms such as “sensation” or “dream debut”, the association only had one word left even after its first appearance in League A: “madness!”
In fact, Rangnick only had a few days after it became known that the former Bundesliga coach Manchester United will no longer be in charge of his advisory function, he has already done a lot. And yet the 63-year-old also admitted that his neighbors are a team that basically has more potential than 34th in the world rankings would suggest.
Little noticed test
Maybe that’s why the majority of the supporters are still pessimistic: For the second Nations League game against Denmark, which duped France 2-1 in Paris at the start, the National Stadium in Vienna shouldn’t even be half full.
For Rangnick, a second win – this time in front of a home crowd – would be another step in the right direction. Should Austria take part in the EM 2024 in Rangnick’s home country, their cooperation will be automatically extended until the next World Cup. Nevertheless, the coach will be warned: Austria suffered a bitter 4-0 defeat at the Danes’ last guest appearance at the Ernst Happel Stadium last year.