Lothar Matthäus sees the ÖFB-Elf at an advantage against Germany

The German record national player Lothar Matthäus currently sees the Austrian national football team as having an advantage compared to the DFB selection. “As a team, the Austrians are a bit ahead at the moment when it comes to the processes and coordination on the pitch,” said the 1990 world champion on Monday in an APA interview at sportsbusiness.at’s Breakfast Club before the friendly friendly match on Tuesday (20.45). pm/ORF 1) in Vienna.

However, Matthäus sees the guests as the favorites for the end-of-year treat at the Ernst Happel Stadium. “Germany is actually always the favorite. But the teams are still very close together,” said the former Rapid coach. Austria doesn’t have to hide. “They have already won against big teams or given them hot fights,” emphasized Matthäus, looking ahead to EURO 2024 in Germany. “I assume that the Austrians can play a good role.” Postscript: “If everything works and the important players are also present.”

Rangnick the “right coach”

According to Matthäus, team boss Ralf Rangnick is also the “right coach” for the ÖFB team. “The players know the style of play that Rangnick wants to play inside out.” The red-white-red squad also convinces the world footballer from 1991, as it is peppered with several “difference players”. “The team is very well positioned. The coach has options that can be brought in without hesitation and without major loss of quality,” said the 62-year-old, who came out as a fan of Leipzig legionnaire Christoph Baumgartner.

• more on the subject: Rangnick versus Nagelsmann: master versus sorcerer’s apprentice

The football situation in Germany is currently much more explosive, almost seven months before the home tournament. On Saturday, the DFB team suffered a 2-3 defeat against Turkey. “The German team also has the quality to react after a defeat. We need good results to create a good atmosphere in the environment and to inspire the fans,” said Matthäus. Because success has become a rarity in the recent past.

“Havertz is not a left-back”

This is also why Julian Nagelsmann recently replaced the hapless national coach Hansi Flick; against Turkey, the ex-Bayern coach experimented with attacker Kai Havertz as a left-back. “I don’t mind if you try something out. But if you only have so few games to prepare for and are looking for long-term solutions, that can’t be a long-term solution,” said Matthäus. “Havertz is not a left-back, he has his deficiencies in the defensive area.”

The ongoing lack of success is something that, according to Matthew, is almost impossible to explain. “The quality of the individual players is there. Now the coach has to bring this quality onto the pitch in a compact manner,” analyzed Matthäus, testimonial at interwetten. “We have all the prerequisites to write a summer fairy tale. All I’m missing is team unity and compactness. Then comes the certain joy of playing that a team needs to win titles. If they play well and they get to the semi-finals, similar to that at the 2006 World Cup, then we should be very happy.”