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ÖFB team boss Franco Foda came to a predominantly positive conclusion after Wednesday’s 2-1 in Klagenfurt against Greece. The German saw room for improvement over the Nations League matches in Northern Ireland and Romania, but satisfaction with the success of the test match prevailed. “The victory was deserved for the second half,” said the coach.
Foda had switched from a three-man string to 4-2-3-1 after the break, which visibly inspired the ÖFB selection. “In the first half we didn’t have the rhythm in the air, we didn’t play well on the lines, too wide and not vertically. In the second half it was much better and more dynamic, we created much better opportunities,” explained the 54-year-old. .
The increase was also due to substitutes, especially winning scorer Christoph Baumgartner. “He is a player who has the rhythm and finds solutions one-on-one. He enriches the team,” Foda said of the Hoffenheim professional. The team boss also praised assistants Louis Schaub and Michael Gregoritsch, who were also substituted, as well as Adrian Grbić, who made it 1-1. “He can hold the balls well,” Foda said.
Grbić had his chance in attack as Saša Kalajdžić suffered from slight muscle problems and Marko Arnautović was unable to travel due to travel restrictions imposed by China. “Marko can always make a difference, but it’s important for a coach to see that there are alternatives,” Foda said.
The debutants “did well”
In addition to Arnautović, the national coach 14 more players were unavailable. That’s one of the reasons Marco Friedl and Raphael Holzhauser came to their team debuts. “They both did well,” Foda said and summed up: “We won, that gives the team confidence. And we have shown that we can deal with failures and with a short preparation we can offer good performance over long distances.
So it was enough for the first win over the Greeks, who also didn’t have the best lineup since 1993, despite a 0-1 disadvantage. “He speaks for the team that they never give up,” Foda said, but also to a limited extent: “We are satisfied with the result, but not with some phases of the game. We can certainly play better.”
Foul before conceding a goal
Among other things, the goal that upset the team boss, not just because of how it came about. “From my point of view it was a clear foul (Note: from Taxiarchis Fountas to Stefan Lainer). But the referee didn’t see it, we have to keep playing and defend better. Defend the hair, and we didn’t do that in this situation.”
Foda asked his protégés to attend a training session in Klagenfurt on Thursday before leaving for Dublin on Friday, where they will play Northern Ireland in the Nations League on Sunday. Three days later, the guest appearance in Ploiesti against Romania rose again in the Nations League. In these games, the coach can turn to David Alaba and Xaver Schlager, who were saved against Greece. Marco Friedl, however, has to return to Bremen due to travel restrictions.
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