Only 14 outfield players

Lustenau’s small squad worries new coach Brenner

Lustenau coach Martin Brenner

(Bild: www.austria-lustenau.at)

Seven test players have been training with Austria over the past few days. However, coach Martin Brenner was less than convinced by them. "We withdrew six of them at the weekend," confirmed the coach. Only 19-year-old Seydu Diarra from Mali impressed. The striker most recently played in the youth team of French club FC Gueugnon and previously for Clermont's youngsters.

If the coach has his way, the African talent will be signed permanently. Just like Frenchman Robin Voisine from the B team of Ligue A club FC Nantes. The 22-year-old is 1.88 meters tall and a classic central defender. The left-footer would be the ideal replacement for Darijo Grujcic, who moved to Fortuna Sittard. According to the French media, the move to Lustenau is already fixed, but the club has not yet officially confirmed the transfer. Voisine played two international matches for the French U20 national team.

Anger about the squad
However, coach Brenner is not at all satisfied with the current (too small) squad size of just 14 outfield players. "Yes, I openly admit that I would like to have more players, but that's not up to me. We're short of personnel. That doesn't make it any easier, of course, but I'm trying to make the best of the situation." Brenner has already learned to improvise during his short time in charge. 
After all, the training conditions are anything but good due to all the rain and the resulting soaked pitches. "The pitch breaks down quickly because the ground is very deep. Nevertheless, we complete training sessions of a high quality. The workload is good, I'm satisfied, I can also see steps forward. The boys understand what I want from them and how I want soccer to be played."

Test match brought forward
Austria's test match against USV Eschen-Mauren will take place in Bregenz today at 6.30 pm. The match against the Liechtenstein club was originally scheduled for 7.30 pm. However, due to the European Championship round of 16 match between Austria and Turkey, which starts at 9pm, the match was brought forward by an hour. Coach Brenner expects the test to provide some insights. "It gives us the opportunity to simulate situations under match conditions. And I can also see how the boys implement the instructions." The next test is scheduled for Saturday.