Nations League: Returnees take advantage of new opportunities in the team

On Friday (8.45pm, live on ORF1) against world champion France, some of the returnees could introduce themselves to the team. In Croatia (3:0) Danso and Trauner played in a confident second half of a four-back with left-back Maximilian Wober and Christopher Tremmel on the right – a defensive formation that no one could count on. Aside from Trimmel, most of the others have not been part of the national team recently.

The same goes for Weimann, who also participated in March, but was at Osijek for the first time since 2014 at the ÖFB Championship starting at 11. Bremen Legionnaire Friedel played in the 2-1 draw with Denmark and, like Salzburg’s Maximilian Wupper, is now an option for the left winger. In the national team, although both are usually located in the center of the club. In order to get the idea of ​​his game on the field consistently and ultimately successfully, Rangnick doesn’t rely solely on the usual suspects.

Transfers from Danso and Trauner helped

Danso played his last international match until last week in June 2018 against Brazil (0:3). He didn’t get a chance under Franco Voda for long, but Rangnick allowed him to make his debut in Croatia and also replaced him against Denmark. At some point the time will come, according to Danso himself, when he will test his patience. “You have to do your best every day. I try to show that I belong here.”

Like Trauner, who switched from LASK to Feynoord Rotterdam and took another step forward with the Conference League finalists, Danso also benefited from his move to RC Lens in France. “I think I did my job at the club.” Trauner last played at 0:4 against Denmark in March 2021, he has matured in Rotterdam and is now back in strength. “He was calm and was there in important situations,” Rangnick praised in Osijek.

The competition is the biggest in the ÖFB defense, especially since Martin Hinterger (injured) and Philipp Lenhart (ill) are absent and Alexander Dragovic has not been called up. And under Rangnick, ÖFB star David Alaba is now a midfielder as well. Danso defended against the Danes for half an hour alongside Real Madrid. Possible coupling of the future? “I think it worked out really well,” said Danso at 1.90m. “It’s great, it just makes it so much easier.” Alaba plays at a very high level. “You can learn a lot from him.”

Friedel and Weber are candidates for the left side

Marco Friedel has already benefited a lot from Alaba. Tyrolean spent a lot of time with Alaba in his youth at Bayern Munich. The 24-year-old is also a candidate for the left-back that Rangnick is still looking for a permanent solution for. Friedel was once a substitute for Alaba at Bayern, and recently moved at Werder Bremen to the center of defence. “The position is an option for me in the ÖFB team, I can get to know him very well.”

As a left-back, Friedel said he should have stepped up the attack even more. “Especially in the last third, we can do more.” Fauber provided assists against Croatia and must also play against France because Friedel is injured.

Friedel said Rangnick would have given the team “a lot” in a short time and dealt, among other things, with pressure on attack. Under the leadership of his predecessor Fouda, he played Unterinntaler, as Danso and Co. , a supporting role only, and he has five international matches. After being promoted again to the Bundesliga, he hopes for consistency – also in the Austrian Football Association team. “I don’t want to leave after those four games.”

Wayman “under the radar”

This also applies to Weimann (“I’m done with the team”), who won 3-0 in Croatia for the first time in eight years at the start of the eleventh season of the UEFA Championship. At Bristol, the 30-year-old plays mostly in the attacking midfield or as a striker, rarely outsmarting the winger as initially at Osijek. “I think I can play in almost any position, maybe not as a central defender,” Wyman said afterwards.

In the second half, the former Aston Villa player acted offensively, recently also affecting his club – 22 goals and ten assists in the 2021/22 season speak for themselves. In any case, Rangnick (“Faymann was a little under the radar”) made it clear at the start of his era that players who don’t make their money in the Bundesliga also get their chances – provided they fit the system and of course perform well in the end.