Austrian defender Marco Friedl has been excluded from the national team’s upcoming squad for the UEFA Nations League.
The 28-year-old SV Werder Bremen captain was not selected for the upcoming training period by head coach Ralf Rangnick. While Friedl remains on the standby list, he will not travel with the squad for the scheduled fixtures against Ireland and Israel.
Friedl expressed disappointment regarding the decision, specifically citing a lack of dialogue with the national coaching staff. Speaking to Sky, the defender noted that while he anticipated the possibility of being left out due to limited playing time in previous camps, the absence of a conversation was problematic.
“There was no exchange. I expected it a little bit because I played very little during the last training camp, but it was never communicated to me,” Friedl told Sky.
The defender’s recent international involvement was minimal. During the previous training period, he appeared for only 11 minutes in a home match against Kosovo, which was the lowest amount of playing time among all outfield players nominated at that time.
Werder Bremen coach Daniel Thioune also expressed confusion over the omission. He defended the defender’s form and consistency in the Bundesliga, noting that Friedl has been a mainstay in his club’s lineup.
“I cannot quite understand why Marco is not going to the national team. He has played a great round in the collective so far. He is defensively strong and very stable,” Thioune said.
Data from the current season supports the club coach’s assessment. Friedl has started every one of Werder Bremen’s nine league matches so far this season, maintaining his role as a central fixture in the defense.
The exclusion changes the trajectory for the Tyrolean defender, who has earned 13 caps for the Austrian national team to date. Of those appearances, six have been in the starting lineup.
Friedl’s previous international milestones include a 23-minute appearance against Argentina. He was also part of the squad during the recent Nations League period before his limited minutes against Kosovo on September 27 in Vienna.
The Austrian national team is scheduled to face Ireland in Linz on Saturday at 20:45 Uhr. Following that fixture, the team will continue its Nations League campaign against Israel.
Worth a look
