Austria thriving, with or without Alaba
Friday, November 14, 2014
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Steady, stable Austria are expecting to give Russia a tough time in Group G, even without David Alaba. "It's the team that counts, not any individual," noted coach Marcel Koller.
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As they prepare to face Russia in UEFA EURO 2016 Group G, Austria are hoping to take another step towards the final tournament, with or without their star player.
Unbeaten since October 2013, Austria failed to reach the FIFA World Cup finals – which they last graced in 1998 – but stand two points clear at the top of a competitive section with seven points from three games. The absence of FC Bayern München's David Alaba with a knee ligament problem has taken some of the star quality from Marcel Koller's squad, but as they welcome Russia to Vienna on Saturday, the mood remains buoyant.
"David is a very important player," said Koller, the 54-year-old former Switzerland midfielder who has been in charge of Austria since 2011. "It's a shame he can't be involved, but we have a good squad and players who can compensate for his absence." His summary of the situation told its own story about the group he has assembled: "It's the team that counts, not any individual."
In terms of squad and team selection, consistency has been a key principle for Koller. He has tended to stick with the same basic starting lineup wherever possible in recent matches, and has been keen to underline in his media dealings that he has absolute confidence in his squad. That note of faith seems to be echoing through the dressing room.
The loss of Alaba – who operates in midfield for Austria, as opposed to his usual left-back berth with Bayern – might have been cause for alarm, but the 27-year-old Zlatko Junuzovic, another main man in the middle of the park, appeared to take the problem in his stride as he looked ahead to tackling Russia. "We have developed a winning mentality that we want to build upon," said the SV Werder Bremen player with a grin.
The only slight weakness in Koller's side lies up front. Usually deployed as a lone forward, Marc Janko served a suspension last time out after being red-carded in the 2-1 win in Moldova in Austria's second Group G game. However, Rubin Okotie deputised ably in the last match, scoring the only goal of the 1-0 victory over Montenegro, with Andreas Weimann and Lukas Hinterseer offering additional attacking options.
Austria have not scored more than twice in any of their six outings in 2014, but while they have not tended to overwhelm opponents, they have picked up a useful habit of doing enough to get results. They have never qualified for a UEFA European Championship – their single finals appearance coming as co-hosts in 2008 – yet, steady and stable, they may have found the formula to take them to France in two summers' time.