ÖFB right-back

Posch dreams of the Champions League with Bologna!

Stefan Posch

(Bild: AP)

Stefan Posch is currently enjoying the best season of his soccer career at Bologna. The Styrian is on course for the Champions League with his club in fourth place in the league. The 26-year-old wants to take this positive momentum with him into the national team. There, Posch is set in his new position as right-back. The young father said on Wednesday at the ÖFB camp in Marbella that he had developed "above all as a footballer" with the surprise team from the Italian Serie A. 

After the birth of his son Romeo last Friday, Posch was allowed to arrive in southern Spain on Tuesday, one day late. "That means a lot to me. It just shows that he takes the players into consideration," said the Italy international about team boss Ralf Rangnick. The fact that the German also postponed team training from the morning to the afternoon in order to have Posch with him is proof of the defender's standing in the ÖFB squad. When fit, Posch has played every international match from the start over the past year and a half. "I've played some good games. But I believe that we work very well as a team overall."

(Bild: LaPresse)

"He has played a big part in how the team has developed!"
As in Bologna, the trained central defender has also switched to right-back in the ÖFB team. His technical skills are the basis for this. "I think I've taken a big step forward as a footballer." His club team has also made remarkable progress over the course of the season. "We have young players with development potential." An important success factor is coach Thiago Motta. "He already made a big name for himself as a player," said Posch about the former Italian international. "The coach demands a lot from us. He doesn't show any consideration for players who don't give 100 percent. He has played a big part in how the team has developed."

Bologna are still ten league games away from their first Champions League appearance in the club's history. "The city is dreaming," said Posch. "When you walk through the city, everyone is euphoric and happy with how we're performing." Posch has played for the "Rossoblu" since 2022. The cult of personality is in a different league to that in Germany at his former club 1899 Hoffenheim. "They idolize you as a footballer in Italy. They love soccer, they live soccer. That's another difference."

(Bild: „Krone“)

"I'd rather take the team's success than six goals!"
Posch now has 28 international caps under his belt. His only goal came in the 2019 European Championship qualifier in the key match in Slovenia (1:0). The defender scored six times for Bologna in the previous season, but has yet to score this season despite strong performances. "I'd rather take the team's success than six goals," emphasized Posch. He goes into the league final for the Champions League places with a broad chest: "If we carry on like this, then there's not much standing in our way."

The ÖFB team also has nothing to hide despite the difficult European Championship draw. "We've already proven a few times that we can hold our own against big opponents. We have to be ready at the right moment." He is. As Philipp Lienhart was the only squad player to train individually on Wednesday and will certainly not start in the test match in Slovakia on Saturday (6pm) following his groin operation, Posch would also be an option in Austria's central defense in the absence of David Alaba. However, it seems more plausible that Maximilian Wöber will move into the center of defense alongside Kevin Danso and Phillipp Mwene will start at left back.