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They both want to make their mark on the ÖFB team. Baumgartner was already a key player in the Under-21s, he knows many teammates from the German Bundesliga. “It is an advantage. You know what my strengths are, ”says the 21-year-old: creativity. “I’m an offensive player who likes to try something and maybe also do something risky.” He wants to keep that as a newcomer to the A-Team.
Baumgartner’s game thrives on his self-confidence. The attacking midfielder scored seven league goals for Hoffenheim, including two victories against Dortmund. “Those are moments when you, as a young player, feel that you can keep up with the greats,” the Lower Austrian said at a press meeting in Klagenfurt on Wednesday. “That was extremely important to my head.”
Grbic and Baumgartner: two new members to the ÖFB team
Adrian Grbic and Christoph Baumgartner are two newcomers to the national soccer team. Both legionaries and offensive players are involved.
Baumgartner has faced setbacks
The setbacks of the previous summer – an exclusion in the fight for the European Cup places and a missed penalty in the European Under-21 Championship – “Baumi” were cut well. He even took positive things with him. “I learned that soccer doesn’t always go uphill.” The younger brother of WAC defender Dominik Baumgartner moved from St. Pölten Academy to Hoffenheim in 2017, where he is now seen as more than hope for the future.
A job in the ÖFB team would be the next step. “I’ve been trying to put my strength on the prairie in the last few days,” Waldviertler said. One of them could be its versatility. The paper of ten in the center is basically the “favorite position”. Baumgartner has also played as a winger for Hoffenheim and the U21 squad, a position that the ÖFB team urgently needs after numerous failures.
“I know where the door is”
Years ago, Grbic had also occasionally performed on the side of the offspring at VfB Stuttgart, but his true qualities lie at the center of the storm. According to the 24-year-old, his best weapon is the title. “I dare say I know where the goal is.” He scored 17 goals in 26 league games for French second division Clermont Foot in the season shortened by the coronavirus. As a reward there was a transfer of ten million euros to the House of Lords.
Grbic doesn’t want to be pressured by the high transfer rate. After two years in Altach (2017 to 2019), the assignments are more important for the Viennese. “Without match practice, no great club is of use to you.” The move to France has paid off. “French football is about two-way combat, but also technically, that’s good for me,” said the 1.88-meter man. With serial champions Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Lyon, France placed two teams in the semi-finals of the Champions League. “The French league is a superior league to develop,” Grbic said.
He wants to get used to the national team as quickly as possible. “I’m trying to show that I am an option ahead.” Given that Marko Arnautovic is unavailable due to quarantine regulations in China against Norway and three days later in Klagenfurt against Romania, there are opportunities for action. Michael Gregoritsch seems like the first alternative in the middle of the storm. Grbic doesn’t see himself as a pure enforcer. “I like having the ball at my feet and playing with the team.”
They both want to go to EM in 2021
Preferably in the ME next year. The one-year postponement due to the pandemic could turn out to be a boon for the new players of the ÖFB team. “If I’m at it now, my goal is to keep it up,” Baumgartner said. “Anything else would be a lie.” Grbic sees it in a similar way: “It’s a great goal to be there. I’ll try to improve where I can. “
