Austria Leads UEFA Nations League in Ball Recoveries, Oe24 Reports

Austria leads the UEFA Nations League in ball recoveries with 225 total collections across five group matches, oe24 reported.

The team averages 45 recoveries per match under head coach Ralf Rangnick. France trails with 204 recoveries, while Italy sits at 203.

Kosovo serves as the closest competitor in the standings with 224 ball recoveries. Island follows with 214 and Turkey with 212.

Patrick Wimmer ranks fourth in the individual player tackling chart with 14 tackles despite missing the match against Ireland due to injury.

Kosovo player Ilir Krasniqi leads the individual list with 19 tackles. Turkey player İsmail Yüksek follows with 18, and Finland player Adam Marhiev has 16.

Austria recorded 77 total tackles across the group stage. Rangnick managed multiple squad absences during the campaign, including Xaver Schlager, Alexander Prass, Carney Chukwuemeka, Paul Wanner, and David Alaba.

“Wenn man bedenkt, wer gegen Irland aller nicht dabei war, macht es das umso wertvoller, was da passiert ist, dass wir es schon vor dem letzten Spiel klargemacht haben”, said Ralf Rangnick, head coach, according to oe24.

Substitutes scored six of Austria’s ten goals in the group phase, yielding a 60 percent substitute scoring rate.

At least one substitute scored in every group fixture. Sasa Kalajdzic scored against Israel, Chukwuemeka scored against Kosovo, Prass and Michael Gregoritsch scored against Ireland, and Christoph Lang scored in Kosovo before Kalajdzic scored the winner against Ireland.

Spain recorded seven substitute goals during its first five matches. Exactly half of Spain’s 14 total goals came from substitutes.

Rangnick utilized 29 different players through the five group fixtures. Nicolas Seiwald, Romano Schmid, and Kalajdzic appeared in every match.

“Es war schon im letzten Lehrgang spürbar und greifbar: Da war ein richtig guter Zusammenhalt, um die Jungen wurde sich gut gekümmert, es ist ein richtig guter Spirit in der Truppe”, said Rangnick, according to oe24.

Half of Austria’s ten goals originated from set pieces. Kalajdzic scored the 78th-minute winner against Ireland following a corner kick delivered by Gregoritsch.

Maximilian Ritscher oversees set-piece training for the national team alongside his duties as assistant coach under LASK coach Dietmar Kühbauer.

“Es macht großen Spaß, mit Ritscher zu arbeiten. Er passt menschlich gut in unser Team, und dass es bei Standards so gut funktioniert, spricht für sich”, said Rangnick, according to oe24.

Seven of Austria’s ten goals occurred after the 60th minute, with six coming past the 71st minute. The team secured six additional points in the final twenty minutes of matches.

Austria secured group promotion despite earning draws away from home against Ireland (2-2) and Kosovo (1-1). Home performances produced three wins against Israel (3-1), Kosovo (3-1), and Ireland (1-0), extending an undefeated home run to 17 matches.