European Football Championship
Wöber, Lienhart and Danso in a hot three-way battle!
The race for the two central defender places in Austria's national soccer team at the European Championships in Germany is likely to be a three-horse race! Following the absence of David Alaba, Philipp Lienhart, Kevin Danso and Maximilian Wöber are vying for a starting berth.
Although the trio were injured recently, they have been able to complete the two training sessions in Windischgarsten so far without any problems or restrictions. While Lienhart has only made one brief appearance this calendar year in March, Danso and Wöber have only been out for a few weeks. According to his own statements, the latter could have played in Mönchengladbach's final league match after recovering from a muscle injury in his thigh. However, in consultation with the club and team manager Ralf Rangnick, the decision was made not to take any risks.
"It was a misunderstanding, we've sorted everything out!"
Things were a little more turbulent around Danso before the final Ligue 1 round. "L'Equipe" wrote that the 25-year-old had refused to play after recently recovering from an adductor injury, which the defender described as a false report a few days ago and confirmed on Friday in Windischgarsten. "It was a misunderstanding, we've sorted everything out - it's all good," said Danso.
In the European Championship qualifiers, Alaba and Lienhart formed a successful pairing in the center of defense, but in their absence, Wöber and Danso impressed in March. According to Wöber, who will be selected against France on June 17 will depend on "who has recovered best and is fittest". Danso sees the competition in a positive light. "We will push each other." Without Alaba, "everyone has to take on a bit more responsibility and I'll try to do my bit," said the France international.
"We all know each other and have had enough training!"
In the test matches on Tuesday in Vienna against Serbia and the following Saturday in St. Gallen against Switzerland, the EURO emergency will be rehearsed once again. "I don't think that two central defenders will always play through, everyone will get their minutes," explained Wöber. There should be no lack of coordination in Germany. "We all know each other and have enough training sessions to get the fine-tuning right," emphasized Wöber.
The Viennese has also been lined up as a left-back for Rangnick, but sees himself more in the center. "And I think Phillipp Mwene will be on the left." The future at club level is open for both Wöber and Danso. When asked whether the time was ripe for a transfer, the Lens professional replied "I think so, but I'm only thinking about the European Championship at the moment". As things stand, Wöber will return to Leeds at the end of his loan spell at Gladbach. "The aim was to have the club's future sorted out before the European Championship, but it is what it is. I said to my manager that he doesn't need to call me for the next four weeks, all that matters now is the EURO. I want to have a cool time and concentrate fully on the European Championships."
"The anticipation of the European Championship is so great that ..."
Over the past few days, Wöber has been reeling off sessions with ÖFB athletics coach Gerhard Zallinger and others at the Vienna Sports Club training center in order to get in shape in time for the finals. He had to cancel his vacation. "The anticipation of the European Championships is so great that I was able to cope with not lying on the beach like some others," said the 26-year-old. Despite difficult group opponents, the aim is to reach the knockout phase at the tournament in Germany. Wöber: "France and the Netherlands are two world-class teams. We're going into these games as underdogs, but we've been told by the team boss that we can beat teams like that, and if we get that into our heads, we can do it."
Danso admitted that France have "the best players in the world at the moment". Nevertheless, the defender told his club colleagues in Lens that Austria would win against the runners-up. "A few have laughed, but those who are more involved know that it will be a difficult game for them." Danso also made a prediction for the Champions League final between Alaba's Real Madrid and Marcel Sabitzer's Borussia Dortmund: "Real will win 3:2, Sabitzer will score the two Dortmund goals." Wöber predicted a 2:1 win for BVB. "I'm keeping my fingers crossed for both of them, but David already has three Champions League titles. That's why I wouldn't begrudge 'Sabi' the title."
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