Duel with Kazakhstan

ÖFB team: Get us off our seats again!

Marcel Sabitzer wants to cheer again today.

(Bild: GEPA)

With a must-win against Kazakhstan today, Austria wants to get in the mood for the rematch against Norway in the important Nations League. Team boss Ralf Rangnick has had all his wishes fulfilled - he also has to deliver.

"We have to get the boys back in the mood for heavy metal rock 'n' roll and not the slow waltz. We don't want senior dancing." Ralf Rangnick finds the right words (again), radiating the fire that characterized his team in the spring and at the EURO. Today with the must-win against Kazakhstan and on Sunday against Haaland's Norwegians, Austria wants, no, needs to bring this energy to the pitch in Linz. Not only with regard to the draw for the World Cup qualifiers, the Nations League is also important. Only the group winners advance to the A-League, while the runners-up still have a play-off chance against a third-placed team from the A-Pool. And that's where Sabitzer and Co. want to go again.

Ralf Rangnick

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

"The team wants to measure itself against the best in order to develop," says ÖFB managing director Bernhard Neuhold, referring to more than just the sporting aspect. "Of course it makes a difference whether I fill the Happel Oval three times or not." This is against Germany, England or France, attractive opponents, not against Kazakhstan or Slovenia. UEFA bonuses, tickets, hospitality, advertising deals - the financial difference between the A and B leagues is around four million euros.

And the ÖFB tries to fulfill Rangnick's every wish. The coaching staff of the A-team is larger than the squad, now with four physios from Germany, a nutrition expert, at the EURO with external consultants (including Ralph Krueger, the White Shaolin Marc Gassert) - Rangnick gets his people. Ex-professional Sebastian Prödl is also being discussed as (additional) team manager.

Rangnick demands, encourages, drives - in many areas. At the ÖFB still without contradiction. Because he has broken up encrusted structures, created a spirit of optimism, and has shed the dusty image of Austrian soccer. "We are all about professionalization," says Neuhold. "But we act responsibly and don't take any economic risks." Postscript: "If you provide quality, if you invest, then you want to increase the chance of sporting success. There are no guarantees."

Scratching the curve
But the expectations - also at the ÖFB - are clear: a return to the A division of the Nations League and a ticket to the 2026 World Cup. Otherwise, Rangnick's expensive "apparatus" will not be sustainable and the question arises as to how sustainably the ÖFB will be "modernized". Apart from the comparisons with the results of the Franco Foda era.

The pressure is there after the false start in the Nations League, but so is the trust in Rangnick and his charges. That's why it's now time to turn the corner. Today with a must-win against Kazakhstan, number 109 in the FIFA world rankings. And then, on Sunday, revenge against Norway. That is also the wish of the Austrian fans: tear us from our seats again with inspiring soccer! Like against Italy, Germany or at the EURO. No excuses.