U17-EM IN CYPRUS

These architects created the defensive bulwark

Austria's coaching team provides the players (pictured: Adejenughure Oghenetejiri) with all the information they need.

(Bild: ÖFB/Tugrul Karacam)

Austria's U17 national team remained unbeaten in the group stage of the European Championships in Cyprus and did not concede a goal. The result of meticulous preparation and detailed analysis. Because the coaching team behind team boss Martin Scherb scrutinizes every single opponent very closely.

Is the number 10's second corner kick from the right shot towards or away from the goal? Does the opposing goalkeeper play the kick short or are there sometimes long balls? In how many percent of cases does player X make a hook to the left when dribbling?

The coaching team is doing a great job
In soccer, everything and everyone has long been closely scrutinized. Data on individual players - whether in training or in matches - is recorded electronically so that it can be taken into account when managing stress levels. A coach alone would no longer be able to cope with the sheer volume of tasks. The Austrian U17 team manager knows this too. "I really have a great team. With assistant coach Christoph Wurm, the two analysts Bogdan Frisu and Daniel Gasser and goalkeeping coach Markus Krafka," Scherb also brings the protagonists to the fore who usually stay in the background. "They really do a top job."

My coaching team with assistant coach Christoph Wurm and the two analysts are doing an excellent job. We are well prepared for every opponent.

Teamchef Martin Scherb verteilt die Verantwortung auf mehrere Schultern.

Frisu and Gasser, for example, have compiled their own dossier on each of the potential ÖFB opponents, while Krafka records every game from a behind-the-goal perspective. "This allows us to give the players the best possible instructions for the game," says Scherb. "It's more and more about the details. If you do your homework, you can play to the team's strengths better."

Martin Scherb and his coaching team: assistant coach Christoph Wurm, goalkeeping coach Markus Krafka and the two analysts Bogdan Frisu and Daniel Gasser.

(Bild: ÖFB/Tugrul Karacam)

In the case of the Austrians, that means a stable defense. "The fact that we didn't concede a goal in the group stage gave us confidence," said captain and central defender Valentin Zabransky. "But we can also be satisfied with our forward play," said Scherb.

France and England have a much bigger support team
The "big" soccer nations such as England and France already have a much larger staff at U17 level than the Austrian team. The "Three Lions" have four video analysts at every game, and the most important scenes are edited and processed in the stadium. Of course, they are connected to the bench on the edge of the pitch via a button in their ear and inform the coaching team if they notice certain characteristics in the game from their elevated position.

The English video and match analysts neatly lined up in the Ammostochos Stadium in Larnaca.

(Bild: Stefan Schnittka)

France also films the matches in which "Les Bleus" are not on the pitch themselves. As seen at the Ammochostos Stadium in Larnaca, when a French video analyst mounted his camera on the window frame - and then took turns working on three laptops.

France's video analyst observing the opposition. It's an advantage to be able to multi-task.

(Bild: Stefan Schnittka)

"It's pretty stressful at first, but you get into a routine over time," he explained to the Krone. Incidentally, all this effort did little for the French in this final round. Despite two victories, they only finished third in a group with Portugal, England and Spain and had to return home before the knockout round.

Austria fared much better with its smaller but very fine team.