Praise for Rapid, on the other hand

“What’s going on?” Rangnick questions Red Bull

ÖFB team boss Rangnick praises the Rapid youngsters and questions Salzburg's farm team Liefering.(Bild: GEPA)

Austrian footballers can currently be counted on one or two fingers in the teams of Champions League starters Red Bull Salzburg and Sturm Graz. ÖFB team boss Ralf Rangnick does not want to let this worry him, but he does question Red Bull: "As the man in charge at Salzburg, I would ask myself the question: What is actually going on in Liefering?"

The German emphasized that the decisive factor for him was the good training of young players in Austria. In this respect, there was praise for Rapid, but Rangnick questioned the developments at Salzburg's farm team Liefering. "There was a long period there, which I also co-initiated, where nomen omen was nomen omen - Liefering delivered," Rangnick explained to journalists in Vienna. Two, three or four players from the second division club regularly made their way into Salzburg's first team. "They couldn't utilize them that quickly at the top, the next generation has already followed at the bottom." That is currently not the case.

Salzburg's Champions League squad(Bild: EPA)

"Is the whole commitment worth it?"
 Because Salzburg tries to attract the country's best young talents to its academy, promising Austrians also play in Liefering. According to Rangnick, however, they are obviously not yet good enough to be considered by the professionals. "That's not a criticism, but I would like to ask the question: Are they still working at exactly the same level of ambition there? No player is in the first-team squad. Is it then worth all the effort you put in?"

Salzburg has never adhered to the guidelines of the Austrian pot, with which the Bundesliga financially rewards minutes played by home-grown players. More and more clubs, above all Sturm, are following suit. "I'm not someone who believes in quotas or special payments," Rangnick emphasized. Clubs, as he knows from his own experience as a sports director, always put together their squads according to performance criteria. "We have to deal with what the reality is."

Rapid's work with young talent inspires Rangnick
Rapid has had the most players of all Bundesliga clubs in the senior national team for months. The Hütteldorf club is also well represented in the U21 and other ÖFB youth teams. "Rapid has been doing good youth work for many years," said Rangnick. This is also the only way to go in Austria.

Rangnick likes the youth development work in Hütteldorf.(Bild: GEPA)

Coach training important
Rangnick, who has a say in many matters within the association, wants to focus more on the underpinning. "We have to make sure that the really good players stay in soccer and have the chance to develop even at the age of six to ten," said the 66-year-old. That stands and falls with coach training. "It's already very good, but you can still look at how you can keep improving things."

Ralf Rangnick(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

"All forces must be pooled"
 Rangnick himself is completing two training sessions with ten to 13-year-olds this week - on Thursday in Leithaprodersdorf in Burgenland and on Friday in Horn. Former national team player Martin Stranzl will support him. Rangnick: "All forces must be pooled so that Austria can continue to develop really good players in the future who are also good enough to help the senior national team." Whether they go on to play professionally at home or abroad is not so important in the end.