Ralf Rangnick’s career as national coach got off to a very bumpy start. After the 1:3 against Croatia, the fourth defeat in the sixth game of his tenure, many would have believed that the union could come to an abrupt end. This was in November 2022.
More than a year and a half later, the tide has completely turned. The Austrians celebrate a big party in Berlin and win 3-2 Dutch victory in the group of death. This also included the Poland and the highly trafficked French.
After a bumpy start, the Austrians seem transformed under Rangnick
Insanity! Rangnick looked visibly relaxed after the final whistle. But how could this development come about? In his career to date, the 65-year-old, who has been labeled a ‘football professor’, has been a man of long-term projects at football clubs. First in Ulm and later especially in Hoffenheim and the entire Red Bull project around Leipzig, Rangnick pursued success with a long-term plan – and the generous financial resources available.
In the case of the Austrians, Rangnick can establish a playing philosophy, but cannot control every detail in the youth sector. The trainer must hand over responsibility – and does so. “If anything comes from the team it is this: please let’s attack! The guys want us to let them go,” Rangnick said in an interview with “90 Minutes” a few weeks before the start of the tournament.
Of course, Rangnick not only lets the players loose, but also gives them more freedom. You pay it back with achievements. Mutual trust is paramount. However, this had to be built up first and does not necessarily occur after the first treatment. The development of the past year and a half can successfully be approached differently Italy (2:0), Germany (2:0) or the runaway victory against the Turks (6:1).
The group stage of the European Championship also supports this statement. After the opening defeat against France (0:1), the Rangnick team also trailed against Poland before completely turning it around and winning 3:1. The stars around Marcel Sabitzer also had to swallow the equalizer twice in the match against the Netherlands. However, they always came back – and went one step further. The team has enormous self-confidence. The team was shuffled four times just before the match against the Netherlands and there was no noticeable loss of performance.
More than a secret favorite, Rangnick knew what this team could achieve
Perhaps Austria’s best player of all time, David Alaba, can only watch from the bench. But: He is there! In consultation with Rangnick, the Real Madrid star, who is still in full development after tearing his cruciate ligament, acts as ‘non-playing captain’ who maintains close contact with the team. Such small building blocks can lead to great success.
“We want to take the best possible care of this team – and do it as well as possible,” Rangnick explains, referring to the prospects for the tournament. A coach like Rangnick always strives for the maximum and wants to get the most out of his players. Rangnick made this sentence just a few days before he decided not to coach the club FC Bayern become.
At the end of April, the record champions were very interested in contracting the national coach. There could have been many more reasons why the Backnang resident did not accept the offer. But Rangnick must have known that a lot was possible for his perfectly positioned team at this European Championship.
Possibly even a success that hangs higher than all previous achievements that the Austrians have achieved at major tournaments. To this day, third place at the 1954 World Cup remains in the history books as the greatest success. So there is plenty of room for a new chapter. Based on previous performance, at least the word secret favorite can be removed.