Daugava Stadium. Riga. 19th November 2019. Still revelling in their qualification for Euro 2020 just three days earlier after victory over North Macedonia in Vienna, Austria sink to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to a Latvian side ranked 137 in the FIFA World Rankings. This wasn’t a smash and grab win for Latvia; despite only having 34% possession, they had as many shots on target as an impotent Austria missing two guilt-edge chances in the first half. Nor was it a weak Austrian side, involving regular starters of Julian Baumgartlinger, Florian Grillitsch and Aleksandar Dragović and promising youngsters such as Stefan Posch and Maximilian Wöber.
The result tarnished what was, overall, an impressive campaign for Austria. After back to back defeats in the March international break, which left automatic qualification in jeopardy, they responded by winning 6 games from 7 before the Latvia defeat, only dropping points away to Poland in September in a game they could’ve quite easily won, with Marko Arnautović hitting the bar. The win away to Slovenia in October was the most impressive- the win all but sealed qualification against a side that started breathing down Austria’s neck in the September international break after their surprise 2-0 win over Poland. After powering into an early lead with a gorgeous glanced header from Stefan Posch, Austria broke tendency under Foda and continued to play on the front foot, grinding out the win in the final ten minutes against their Alpine rivals. That was, effectively, job done, with qualification for their second successive Euros sealed against North Macedonia in Vienna a month later.
Manager Franco Foda does deserve credit for turning the ship around.
His reign started very well, a friendly win over arch rivals Germany in a World Cup warm-up friendly in June 2018 being the undoubted highlight, but an average Nations League campaign and the disastrous break in March led many, including this writer, to believe that the wasn’t squeezing anywhere near enough juice out of an unquestionably talented pool of players, in fact a more talented group than that which Marcel Koller oversaw 9 wins from 10 in their Euro 2016 (albeit in a similarly weak qualifying group). The record in their last 8 games of 6 wins bodes well, but a performance at Euro 2020/1 like that of the disastrous Euro 2016 campaign won’t be tolerated this time round. Unlike Euro 2016, they don’t have the ‘dark horses’ tag (this time round it’d likely go to their Euro 2020 Group C companions, Ukraine), however the quality in their squad this time round is better than 2016, both in depth and diversity, as well as tactically and mentally.
The primary factor in this has been the Red Bull conveyor belt of players between Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg and German Champions League participants RB Leipzig (not to forget Salzburg’s feeder club FC Liefering). Not only did many of the key members of Austria’s starting eleven start their professional careers in Salzburg, such as centre back Martin Hinteregger, box to box midfielder Xaver Schlager, energetic right winger Valentino Lazaro and sturdy right back Stefan Lainer, but many other key members are still on the conveyor belt and thriving as they do so. Konrad Laimer is an exceptionally adept pressing centre midfielder with excellent tactical awareness, facilitating his regular deployment at right back for Leipzig where he also can thrive- just look at his delicious ball for Jean-Kévin Augustin at Celtic Park in the 2018-19 Europa League. Most notably there is Marcel Sabitzer (though not signed from Salzburg), who has experienced a breakthrough season at Leipzig, racking up a total of 16 goals and 10 assists in all competitions in a side with strong competition for starting spots in attack (one of whom is Hannes Wolf, perhaps Austria’s most talented U23, who also started at Salzburg).
At Euro 2016, Sabitzer was only truly comfortable out on the right as an inside forward, and had little if any continental experience, however since he looks comfortable in any position in an attacking trio, at number 10, or even in a midfield three as he has done on occasion for Leipzig this season. Even players who are now regular starters for Austria who are still yet to make the jump to the Bundesliga from Salzburg, such as Cican Stanković and Andreas Ulmer (though the latter is now 34) are now gelling comfortably into Foda’s side. Stanković has taken over in goal from Heinz Lindner, providing better distribution in a similar vein as he does for Jesse Marsch’s Salzburg, and produced some crucial saves in Warsaw in September. Ulmer likewise is the usual first choice left back; his age may deceive one into thinking that he no longer has the legs to perform a wing back function as he often does in the narrow 4-2-2-2 of Salzburg, but alas he regularly drops rock solid performances.
Overall, there are three key reasons for optimism this time round. Firstly, the average quality of the starting XI is greater than that of Euro 2016, where David Alaba was having to be played in centre midfield, with unknowns Robert Almer and Florian Klein starting as goalkeeper and right back respectively. The system has the capability of being far more fluid than the rigid 4-3-3 of Marcel Koller’s 2016 outfit. Most crucially though, the national pool of players is now growing in strength by the week.
Still of Stefan Laimer’s assist for David Alaba’s opener vs North Macedonia in October and an example of Austria’s growing fluidity under Foda. Lainer and Ulmer have both drifted into the half spaces, as has right winger Lazaro. This, coupled with Baumgartlinger’s drift into no.10, forces the banks of 3 and 4 of North Macedonia to narrow, allowing the nominal wingers, Sabitzer (on the right, out of shot, though designated 10 in this game) and Alaba to pierce in between the wing backs and far centre backs. Lainer manages to thread the needle thus.
However, unlike the starting XI, this by and large isn’t down to the Red Bull conveyor belt but due to the improvement of other sides in the Austrian Bundesliga, who are improving Austria’s UEFA coefficient year on year. The key side in this at the moment are LASK, who made it to the last 16 of the Europa League this season (a miraculous 5 goal comeback at Old Trafford preventing), with a side consisting of almost entirely exciting Austrian talents. Alex Schlager is a sturdy goalkeeper who will provide competition for Stankovic, Peter Michorl is an energetic and powerful box to box midfielder, wingers Thomas Goiginger and Reinhold Ranftl regularly gallop past opposition defences with their explosive running and Marko Raguž is a promising target man (a very similar style of player to say, Wout Weghorst) who has scored 5 goals in the Europa League this season and is sure to provide competition for Marko Arnautović come next summer.
This season has also seen the emergence of a new generation of talent at Rapid Wien, who now find themselves second in the Austrian Bundesliga, and players such as Yusuf Demir, Leo Greiml and Dalibor Velimirovic are already being touted with moves to Bundesliga big boys. Compare this with the squad players of Euro 2016- names such as Lukas Hinterseer, Markus Suttner, Jakob Jantscher and György Garicsdidn’t carry anywhere near as much the same excitement as those now emerging in the domestic league.
Another example of the new fluidity, with the addition of a more diverse use of Arnautović, from their 1-0 win over Slovenia in June. Here, Lazaro and Alaba have swapped wings, with the latter using Arnautović as a target man. Laimer, far left, and Burgstaller, dovetailing him in the latter stages, occupy the defensive midfielder and left centre back to allow Arnautović the one-on-one in which he thrives. He later pulls it back for Burgstaller to slam home the winner.
Thus, there really is no excuse for Foda to not improve on the performance at Euro 2016. The starting XI is more multi-functional and tactically adept, driven by the tactical hotbed of the Bundesliga this season where the vast majority of starting XI ply their trade. All round, they’re more energetic side with the engines in midfield and at full back in Lainer, Ulmer, Alaba, Schlager and Laimer, and the wider pool of players has also improved greatly. The balance of the side between players in the domestic leagues and abroad, will, as always be tricky, as will tactical conundrums such as where to deploy Lazaro and Alaba to who is the best midfield anchor to provide support for Xaver Schlager and Laimer (Grillitsch, Baumgartlinger, Ilsanker?).
Tactical criticisms of international sides are often harsh given the amount of time a manager has, but the potential for, say, a flowing and high pressing 4-4-2 diamond is very tasty indeed (Stanković- Lainer, Posch, Hinteregger, Alaba- Baumgartlinger, Laimer, X. Schlager, Grillitsch- Sabitzer, Arnautović). Added to this, the squad will likely be buoyed by successful European campaigns from Salzburg and Leizpig in the 2020-21 season; two sides who are becoming more and more ruthless in Europe under Marsch and one of, if not the most exciting coach(es) in Europe in Julian Nagelsmann respectively.
For Foda and Austria, reaching the knockouts will be a minimum expectation. And rightfully so.
Photos from UEFA.tv
By Alfie Wilson