It is no coincidence that Konrad Laimer and Xaver Schlager played through the first two games under the German. Rangnick swapped all other nine players in the starting line-up before the 2-1 draw against Denmark on Monday. Schlager scored the ÖFB goal, not even the delay due to a power failure could harm the two midfield dynamos.
“We still put the energy on the pitch,” said Laimer. “We’re trying to get everything that’s still in the tank out. We managed that quite well,” said Schlager. It is no coincidence that the Germany legionnaires, who once played together in Salzburg, are often referred to as the two “Duracell bunnies” in the ÖFB team. “Yes, if you see the game, somewhere,” confirmed Real Madrid star David Alaba.
Still need to catch up
According to his own statements, Schlager still has a little catching up to do after his cruciate ligament rupture last summer. “It’s exhausting for me,” said the 24-year-old about the full 90 minutes on Friday and Monday. “It’s very taxing on the body and knees. But at some point I’ll have to start playing every three days again.” He did not do that with Wolfsburg due to a lack of European Cup appearances in the past season.
Laimer, on the other hand, is in full swing. “Sometimes it’s not so bad if you stay in rhythm. That was the case for the two of us,” said the Leipzig professional. “We gave it our all again. We didn’t deserve to lose. We put in a good to very good performance.” You can build on that. “If you think about how many chances we had in the World Cup qualifiers (0:4 and 0:1 against Denmark/note) and now, then that was a really good step.”
The first ÖFB week under Rangnick makes Laimer optimistic. “I’m very confident that we’re on the right track. The first two games were a step in the right direction,” said the 25-year-old. Schlager added: “Many say that the path is decisive and not the result. If we continue to follow our path, then we will certainly be rewarded at some point.”
France “make stress”
After the 3:0 in Croatia and the somewhat unfortunate 1:2 against the Danes, France is waiting in Vienna on Friday. Schlager expressed great respect for the reigning world champion. “But everyone boils with water. If we can put pressure on them, if we can stress them out, then no player likes that.” This would probably require the two “Duracell bunnies” again.
Laimer and Schlager are very important for the team, emphasized Alaba. “Both are players who have developed very well in recent years and can now decide games with their appearance,” explained the ÖFB captain. The duo would now also have a lot of experience and no longer show any nervousness. “They’ve been playing at a high level for a very long time – it’s good for them and it’s also very important for us.”
Source: Nachrichten
