Ralf Rangnick was satisfied. Austria’s soccer team manager can look back on a successful start to the European Championship qualification. After the 4-1 win against Azerbaijan on Friday, the ÖFB selection has to play again in Linz against Estonia on Monday (8.45 p.m. / live ORF 1). The favorite role is then also clearly distributed. Rangnick had to react against the Azeris. His team was only able to convince after a tactical change in the middle of the first half.
“For the most part we did exactly what we set out to do – really control the game,” explained Rangnick. “We almost always kept our feet on the gas until the end.” Only the first 20 minutes were tough. “We didn’t win any balls, we didn’t really have control. It got much better after the change. After that, we were in control at all times.”
Rangnick initially opted for a 4-4-2 system and wanted to attack the opponent with strikers Michael Gregoritsch and Christoph Baumgartner. The Azeris bridged this – unexpectedly for the 64-year-old – with long balls and were therefore in the majority in central midfield. Rangnick pulled Baumgartner back onto the right wing, Konrad Laimer strengthened the centre. The gambit worked.
“After that we conquered a lot of balls and played the way we imagined,” emphasized Rangnick. “That was a deciding factor.” But the German didn’t want to emphasize his tactical trick. “In hindsight, I would have preferred it if we had played like this from the start.” In this regard, however, he had to react to the opponent.
Rangnick didn’t want to give any special praise to any player. “I thought it was a very cohesive performance overall. Nobody fell off. Even those who came in connected seamlessly.” Marcel Sabitzer, who was called up as captain because of the absences of David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic, then stood out a little. Rangnick: “Of course you can say that if a player scores two goals and prepares one – then he was a bit of a difference player.”
Whether Sabitzer can also run against Estonia is not certain for the time being. After a slap on the knee, the Manchester United legionnaire trudged into the dressing room prematurely 20 minutes before the end. “It was a bit of a precautionary measure,” revealed Rangnick.
The question mark seems bigger for Maximilian Wöber. The Leeds United defender was substituted before the break with a muscular problem in the back of his left thigh. “He slipped away, the muscle closed,” said Rangnick. An MRI scan is scheduled for Sunday to check for structural damage. “I hope that both of them will be fine again on Monday.”
Rangnick was positive about Patrick Wimmer after his second international appearance. The 21-year-old should keep his place in the starting lineup. “He continued his performances from Wolfsburg and absolutely justified his line-up,” said the team manager. He praised Wimmer’s speed dribbling, drawn fouls and his courage to take risks. “For me, he showed everything we hoped for from him in this game.”
This also applies to the home game atmosphere that Rangnick had hoped for from the new stadium in Linz. “It all came about and worked out the way we wanted it to. The spectators are extremely close. You have the feeling everywhere that you’re right in the middle instead of just there.” In the second half, the ÖFB fans sang “Oh, how beautiful that is”. Rangnick: “The backdrop was right. The spectators got their money’s worth.” He hopes that as many as possible will also come on Monday. According to the ÖFB, some remaining tickets for the Raiffeisen Arena are still available.
According to Rangnick, their lawn presented itself better than feared after the final training session. “There weren’t any major slip-ups.” On Thursday, his players slipped even during penalty practice. Rangnick described the goal conceded as a “small blemish”. “We really wanted to keep a clean sheet, but overall it was a convincing performance.” He is now hoping for the same against Estonia.
Azerbaijan is a guest on Monday in the duel between the two losers in the opening match in Sweden at the same time. The Scandinavians lost 3-0 at home against group favorites Belgium. “It was clear that there was going to be a change after leaving the group stage of the World Cup,” Rangnick said of the Belgians. These would have a “top team” – also with some new, younger players. “When you win 3-0 away in Stockholm, that shows a certain quality.”