Austrian football in turmoil over the European Championship: the ‘arrogant person’ Rangnick knows better

“Oh, how beautiful”

45 years later, Austria disappointed Germany again in a friendly match. Last Tuesday it was 2-0. The result could have been higher. The Austrian fans were happy and sang ‘Oh, how beautiful is that’, while the German reporters had to write about the ‘shame of Vienna’.

No one talks about a miracle anymore. Everyone now readily accepts that Austria beats Germany in football. Seven months before the home European Championship, there is a football hangover feeling in Germany. After the recent bankruptcies against Turkey and Austria, no one dares to dream of a new summer fairytale anymore.

The mood in Austria is completely different. Politically, the country is once again shocked after the recent wiretapping scandal surrounding the ÖVP chancellor’s party, but the performance of the footballers on the field is stable. The Austrians completed the European Championship qualification with flying colors. Just behind Belgium, but ultimately with a large lead of nine points over third-placed Sweden.

Does Austria meet Switzerland?

Austria is now rightly in qualifying pot two. When the group draw takes place on Saturday, December 2 at 6 p.m. at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Ösis could be drawn as opponents from pot four against Switzerland. For example, the Nati is threatened with a group with Spain, Austria and the Netherlands.

Austria has no nightmares about this. The father of the new self-confidence in the country is coach Ralf Rangnick (65). The German is a football philosopher. Surprisingly, in the spring of 2022, he accepted the rather half-hearted request of the Austrian bosses. Many people doubted he would do that, as Rangnick was considered destined for higher things. But the German football educator looked at the players’ potential and thought: what Morocco did at the World Cup in Qatar, we can do too, why not, and surprisingly agreed. It was a transfer coup!

Pressing football at its best

Since then he has driven Austrian football away from self-sufficiency. His men are now playing as attractively as one can only dream of from the Swiss national team at the moment: dominant, with a lot of desire to run, high level of pressure and lightning-fast transition play. It was still brutal when the red and white attackers attacked and put pressure on the German defenders in their penalty area on Tuesday. This shows enormous self-confidence.

Self-confidence that Rangnick radiates and sets an example. When Austria drew 1-1 against number two France in June 2022, the German refused to accept any congratulations. There was nothing to congratulate, they had not won, he said. No wonder the coach’s goal is high, higher, highest. He wants to lead Austria to the top position in football; nothing less is on his list of plans.

Krankl starts tackling

He has had the fans on board for a long time. The Ernst Happel Stadium in Vienna was completely sold out on Tuesday, the atmosphere was bombastic, the European Championship can come. Only one person continues to grumble, as he has always done since he can no longer shine on the football field: Hans Krankl (70). “Qualifying for the European Championships with this team is okay, but not difficult. Rangnick has the best material since my generation. You have to achieve something with it.”

And Krankl has no problem making mean tackles when talking about Rangnick: “He is an arrogant person and believes he invented football. That’s why I don’t like him.” Rangnick’s predecessors Marcel Koller (point average: 1.63) and Franco Foda (1.81) also know how difficult it is to work under Grantler legend Krankl as team boss. Despite their good track record were both demonized because they were not Austrian. The German Ralf Rangnick doesn’t care about snipers. When he is criticized, he just adjusts his glasses. This man has a mission and knows better.