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He is guru and magician


Driver and do-it-yourselfer: Ralf Rangnick
Image: EPA

Red Bull football from day one: Austria is unreservedly enthusiastic about its new national coach – despite the recent defeat, a power failure and early prophecies of doom.

Et was the second half of the Nations League game between Austria and Denmark last Monday when the commentator on ORF television gave his blessing, so to speak, for a personality that was by no means undisputed at first. You have to congratulate Peter Schöttel, the sports director of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB), for bringing in “this coaching guru”. This meant Ralf Rangnick, team boss of the Austrian national team since May.

The Swabian was only on the sidelines in two games, one was won and one was lost. But as mixed as the starting balance looks in the bare numbers, Rangnick has already got the mood of football fans in Austria completely on his side. And if the third game under his aegis this Friday (8:45 p.m. at DAZN) is not catastrophically different, then even in this weather-changing business, no reversal is to be expected. Because Austria has nothing to lose here, it’s at home in Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium against world champions France, who are peppered with superstars.

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