Austria, ravaged by football injuries, seeks to maintain its resilience

(Reuters) – Austria has qualified for Euro 2024 with a five-game winning streak, just one loss, and encouragement from coach Ralf Rangnick, who turned down a managerial position at Bayern Munich to remain with the national team he has rebuilt.

Unfortunately, a string of injuries to key players has dashed Austrian expectations that their high-pressing, aggressive style could cause an upset in Germany, where they face World Cup runners-up France, the Netherlands, and Poland in Group D.

Xaver Schlager, a midfielder, injured his left knee in the beginning of May, so he will miss the competition. A few days later, Alexander Schlager, the starting goalie, also developed a knee issue.

Due to David Alaba’s inability to fully recuperate from a significant knee injury he suffered in December of last year, Rangnick did not include the captain of Austria in the initial Euro 2024 roster. But as a “non-playing captain,” he will travel with the squad to Germany and provide encouragement from the sidelines.

Sasa Kalajdzic, a striker, is also out after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in February.

As Poland emerged as the final squad to secure a spot in Group D in March, Rangnick remarked, “We were aware right away that we had an impressive group.” Nothing has altered.

Although he has stated that France is the strongest opponent they might have faced, he has also pointed out that in June 2022, one month after he took over, Austria and his team tied 1-1 in the UEFA Nations League.

After developing a wide range of young players, Rangnick had options, according to former Austrian striker Marc Janko, who spoke to the publication Der Standard.

“Let’s get on with it – now more than ever” is Rangnick’s approach; he is not the kind to start moping. His refusal to play for Bayern laid a solid basis. He was doing it out of love. We’ve developed as a team, he remarked.

In Austria, the German coach has gained great respect for bringing in a high-pressing, quick-paced, and exciting style of play.

The previous year concluded with a resounding 2-0 triumph over Germany in a friendly held in Vienna. Six seconds after kickoff in a friendly match against Slovakia in March, midfielder Christoph Baumgartner scored the fastest goal in international football history. Turkey was defeated 6-1 by Austria in their most recent match.

On June 4 and 4, they have friendlies against Serbia and Switzerland, respectively. On June 17, in Duesseldorf, they will play their first Euro match against France.