Rangnick is fighting for World Cup qualifiers: Austria needs returnees after defeat!

Rangnick is fighting for World Cup qualifiers: Austria needs returnees after defeat!

Austria's national soccer team is facing a decisive phase on the way to the 2026th World Cup. Team boss Ralf Rangnick has been in office since the end of May 2022 and focuses on qualification for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico. After a defeat against Serbia in the Nations League play-off, which ended 0-2, the pressure on the team has increased. Rangnick states: "We have not reached the first goal of the year, the promotion to the league A of the Nations League," emphasizes the importance of the World Cup qualification. After all, this is the last chance for many players to take part in a significant tournament, since Austria's last World Cup participation took place in 1998 when many current team players were not yet born.

The next step in Rangnick's path is the international match against Romania, which will take place in Vienna on June 7th. The team leader hopes for a return of the injured regular players. Nine potential regular players, including stars like David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic, were missing in the game against Serbia, which made the situation more difficult. Injuries are an issue in the team, including Sasa Kalajdzic, Michael Svoboda and Andreas Weimann.

game analysis and outlook

In the games against Serbia, Austria had more possession, but could not score goals. Rangnick judges: "We checked the game", but contradicts the view of Serbia's coach Dragan Stojkovic, who had emphasized that Austria had not had the game in hand. Despite the defeat, Rangnick remains optimistic. He does not see the defeat against Serbia as a setback in the World Cup qualification, but as an important warning to avoid future mistakes. "It is better to lose now than in a World Cup qualification game," said Rangnick.

The team has only played to zero twice in the last 15 games, which makes Rangnick confident about the goalkeeper position - the race between Alexander Schlager and Patrick Pentz remains tight. When analyzing the game, he also emphasizes the achievements of Konrad Laimer and Patrick Wimmer, who were able to convince with strong appearances. Whether Rangnick has to think about his future as a team boss remains unanswered at the moment, since his focus is clearly on the upcoming World Cup qualification.

In another sporty context, Rangnick draws parallels to advertising strategies, as implemented in Salzburg - but without the high expenses that a advertising deal would require with a personality like Britney Spears. This remains the pressure on the team and Rangnick, while orientation and strategy clearly show in the direction of the World Cup qualification.