Does Fuhrmann have to go?

European Championship dream shattered for ÖFB team: “It’s sh****!”

Big disappointment for the ÖFB ladies

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

Austria's team was in vain at the 2023 Women's World Cup, and it will be the same again at the 2025 European Championship. Two bitter 1-0 defeats against Poland have ensured that the ÖFB team will be mere spectators in Switzerland after strong performances at the two previous European Championships. "It sucks," said an annoyed Lilli Purtscheller.

It's no surprise that team boss Irene Fuhrmann has also come in for a lot of criticism following the defeat. "I won't make a decision in the first emotion," said Fuhrmann.

Irene Fuhrmann

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

However, she will not continue her job at any price. "First I have to think about it, get back into balance, process the whole thing. Then, of course, there is an employer who has something to say and, of course, a team. It's not about me personally, it's about the team being successful. All the components have to work together to achieve this," said the 44-year-old, who is still passionate about the cause.

One of these components is smooth cooperation with the association. The association has given women's soccer a higher status in recent years, but not at all in relation to the men's game. "Until now, it was simply a case of us being successful and then taking measures and investing. Now is the time to make a clear decision as to whether we need to invest in order to be successful again. There are enough adjustments that need to be made," explained Fuhrmann.

More "manpower" needed
This includes the fact that Austria is one of the nations that only has two national youth teams, the U17 and U19. There are only professional structures in the A team during the training courses; in between, when many coaches have other jobs, there are none. "I am of the opinion that we have been able to celebrate a great deal of success in recent years for the resources we have, for the breadth of the squad. But women's soccer is developing extremely fast, so we clearly have to step on the gas, because it's only possible to keep up with the competition with full manpower," said Fuhrmann, describing her view.

She had already been critical of the ÖFB the day before due to the lack of advertising for the important match. "Nothing comes from nothing," she said again on Tuesday. But it is also a fact that the players' self-promotion failed to materialize due to their botched performance in the 1-0 loss in Gdansk on Friday, while the cold temperatures and the pre-Christmas period kept people away. The picture of an evening to forget was completed by the fact that the Polish supporters created more of an atmosphere among the 3,200 fans in Vienna.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

This was also due to the fact that Sarah Puntigam and Co. had more possession, but were only able to create a few top chances from their visual superiority. An improvement on Friday was evident, but it did not lead to success, partly because Lilli Purtscheller lacked coolness when finishing. "It sucks. I'm still young, but that's no excuse. I also have to be there in the decisive games and score a goal," said the attacking player with a lot of self-criticism.

"Pure emptiness" at Zinsberger
She also looked back critically on the past few months. "It wasn't just the last two games that weren't so great, but before that too. We scored goals, but our performance wasn't that great either." Only one point from two games against Iceland in the group stage prevented a direct ticket to the European Championship. "The disappointment is huge that the dream has been shattered," said Puntigam. Goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger felt "pure emptiness. Disappointment, sadness". Fuhrmann described the 1-0 defeat after two 3-1 victories in the qualifiers as a "real slap in the face".

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

And not just for herself. "Development is never linear, but it is a huge setback for us in women's soccer, because the media presence is simply higher when we are represented at finals," explained the ÖFB coach. In addition to absences, she cited the current form curve and lack of match practice as the main reasons for the underperformance. "Every team manager wants players who are top performers in their clubs, and that's certainly not the case at the moment. That was a small piece of the puzzle that didn't play into our hands," summarized Fuhrmann. Neither did the absence of Barbara Dunst, who suffered a serious injury to her right knee shortly before the break.

Many players already over 30
At 27, she probably still has a few opportunities to reach a final. This is not the case for some experienced players, most of them regulars. Verena Hanshaw (30), Sarah Zadrazil, Virginia Kirchberger, Katharina Schiechtl and Laura Feiersinger (all 31) as well as record player Puntigam (32) are all over 30. "It's not clear to me what I'll do now," said the latter, keeping her options open. For others, too, it was not the right time to think about their own team's future. The next task awaits on February 21 with a home game against Scotland to kick off the Nations League.

Whether with or without Fuhrmann, who was also on the bench for the outing against Scotland in the World Cup play-off on October 6, 2022, remains to be seen. "If Irene stays, then we'll back her and do it together. But these are not decisions that we make," said Zinsberger. As a coach, you stand at the front and you also have to keep your head down. "But Irene can't score the goals or hold onto the ball. It takes a bit more than just putting the coach in the pillory," added the Arsenal international. Purtscheller agreed: "We have to question ourselves in every area."