Rangnick after 2:3 against Belgium: “I wouldn’t have really trusted the boys”

Ralf Rangnick was very happy with the performance in the 2-3 defeat in Vienna against Belgium. “We played an extremely good, courageous game,” said the German. The early European Championship qualification, which was missed in the first attempt against the Belgians, should now be achieved on Monday (6 p.m./live ORF 1) in Azerbaijan.

The performance against the fifth in the world rankings gave Rangnick confidence, especially since he had to choose half of his starting lineup due to injury. “The Belgians were shaking at the end,” said the 65-year-old after his team almost made up a 3-0 deficit. “The game was on a knife edge.” He would always have extremely high expectations of his players. “But I wouldn’t have necessarily believed the boys could do it the way they did it. I wouldn’t have believed that we could play a game like that in that configuration.”

Read here: Match report of the 2:3 defeat by OÖN editor Harald Bartl from Vienna

They caused enormous problems for the Belgians. “We really won the ball a lot,” said Rangnick, praising his team’s pressing. In the attacking third they didn’t always play the right pass. “We certainly didn’t do everything right when it came to the goals we conceded. But you shouldn’t completely forget who we were up against.” The ÖFB team boss highlighted Belgium’s offensive around captain Romelu Lukaku and young star Jeremy Doku: “There isn’t anything much better in Europe.”

While the Belgians celebrated the European Championship ticket, the Austrians have to be patient for the time being. “We are not dream dancers. It was clear that without eight potential starting eleven players you could theoretically lose,” emphasized Rangnick. They knew about the chance of qualifying in front of their own audience. “Now we definitely want to make everything clear on Monday. That’s the clear goal.”

With a win in Baku, the Austrians would qualify for the finals in Germany. A draw or a defeat would also be enough to take part in the European Championship if Sweden does not win against almost group winners Belgium on Monday (game starts at 8.45 p.m.). If the Swedes catch up with at least two points, the Rangnick selection would have to take something with them in Estonia at the end on November 16th.

more on the subject: EM preparation: “The ÖFB has reserved with us”

“We want to beat Sweden,” promised Belgium team boss Domenico Tedesco in Vienna. But the ÖFB selection doesn’t want to rely on that. “We will approach the game in such a way that we can clear everything on our own on Monday,” explained Rangnick. It will be a different game than the one against Belgium. “Azerbaijan is a team that tries to gain possession of the ball.” The Azeris proved that in their 2-0 win in Estonia on Friday. Rangnick: “We have to win this game first.”

Injury concerns for Kevin Danso

It is unclear whether Kevin Danso can take part. According to Rangnick, the central defender complained about problems in the adductor area and the muscle had closed. “Otherwise everyone got through okay.” Rangnick doubted that Michael Gregoritsch could become an issue for the Azerbaijan game after his calf injury. “Emotionally, I don’t believe it.” The Freiburg striker didn’t train with the team all week.

In his place, Manprit Sarkaria made his debut in the center of attack. Due to a lack of alternatives, Rangnick revealed that it was ultimately a duel between the Sturm Graz man and Rapid’s Marco Grüll. “To bring Sasa Kalajdzic into the start of a game like this after tearing his cruciate ligament would not have done him or us justice.” The Wolverhampton legionnaire played for 30 minutes.

“Nobody could have done that”

All of the substituted players “brought momentum,” said Rangnick. Also Alexander Prass, who played in the left-back position, which was unusual for him. Nicolas Seiwald, a midfielder, also started at right back. This enabled Rangnick to let Konrad Laimer play further forward and press on. “We also wanted to preserve our weapons.” The team boss accepted that Seiwald sometimes had a hard time with documentation. “Doku is an igniting rocket on two legs. Nobody would have been able to switch it off completely.”

Laimer initiated the turnaround with his goal to make it 1:3. When substitute Marcel Sabitzer made it 2-3, the injured David Alaba, Marko Arnautovic and Stefan Posch were no longer able to stay in their seats in the stands. “We know that we have a really cool group,” said Rangnick about the trio of fans who came especially for the game. “Otherwise it wouldn’t be possible to get back into a game like this.”