Rangnick's Joker strategy keeps Austria on course after staff problems

In the cold Dublin Stadium, the Austrian national team, despite missing regular starters and a yellow‑card suspension for Kevin Danso, showed that joker deployments can turn the game – the 2‑2 draw against Ireland ended with a hard‑won point.

Personnel bottlenecks and first wins

Marko Arnautovic has ended his team career, while David Alaba and Marcel Sabitzer did not feature from the start. Ralf Rangnick emphasizes that he does not have the ideal personnel situation that a head coach wishes for.

Konrad Laimer only came into play after the first two wins, but Paul Wanner, Nikolas Veratschnig and Sascha Horvath had to leave the field injured after the matches. The early successes show that the depth of the squad is already having an effect.

Jokers determine the game against Kosovo

In the opener in Linz, Austria recorded a 3‑1 victory over Israel. Sasa Kalajdzic came on in the 37th minute for Michael Gregoritsch, set up Mwene’s 2‑1 goal and later received a pass from Christoph Lang, who delivered the final.

In the second international match, which took place in Vienna, an early 2‑0 half‑time lead against Kosovo put the team in front. Carney Chukwuemeka came on in the 58th minute, scored three minutes later and helped secure the final result of 3‑0. Wöber replaced Affengruber in defense, Laimer added more tempo up front, and Gregoritsch supported Kalajdzic against the Irish centre‑backs.

Reflection and outlook

The fourth joker, Alexander Prass, provided pace down the left flank, scored the follow‑up goal and delivered the free kick that Gregoritsch converted into the equaliser. Prass could even have scored the winning goal, highlighting the versatility of the jokers.

Rangnick explained after the 2‑2 draw against Ireland: “In the end the Irish had trouble keeping up with the tempo.” Ireland’s head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson agreed: “We were better in the first half, the Austrians in the second.”

Philipp Lienhart criticised the opening phase: “I think a lot was off – always a step too late on the run‑up, no ball security, no focus, not getting into the duels.”

After the Dublin stay, the team flew by charter to Pristina, where the next match against Kosovo is scheduled for Sunday. Rangnick emphasises that the role of the jokers remains decisive for the upcoming away game.