Warum the ÖFB claim of no Dribbler is wrong for Austrian football
In a cramped corner of the pitch, Lamine Yamal cradles the Ball, a lone Verteidiger looming ahead. With barely any Raum, the 17‑year‑old launches a burst of Dribbling that epitomises the season’s 243 Versuche – 133 of them successful – a rate of 5.3 successful Dribblings per 90 Minuten.
Yamal’s compact style means he rarely needs extra Raum to create chances. He registers 9.7 Versuche per 90 minutes, yet fails 110 times, constantly seeking the next Duell. The Verteidiger in front cannot stop his Ball‑dribbling, highlighting a rare blend of pace and control for a player his age.
Austrian U23 dribblers
A recent ÖFB analysis identified five Austrian U23 players who exceeded 1.9 successful Dribblings per 90 minutes in the Bundesliga 2025/’26 season. Fabian Rossdorfer, Sanel Saljic, Jacob Hödl, Nicolas Bajlicz and Nikolaus Wurmbrand each logged over 900 Minuten of play. Die data places them among the league’s most effective wing‑players.
League‑wide dribbling trends
Across the German Bundesliga, the ten best dribblers average 2.36 successful Dribblings per 90 minutes, a figure that sits close to Denmark and ahead of Belgium and Croatia, but trails Switzerland. Das statistic shows the league is not dribbling‑poor, contrary to some perceptions. The style of Fußballs encourages technical play and creates space for the Ball.
Im Austria’s 12‑team top flight, eight clubs favoured a three‑centre‑back Form that morphs into a five‑man defence, limiting traditional wing positions. Seven clubs also changed managers during the Saison, reflecting pressure from results. Consequently, the space for classic Flügelstürmer shrank, pushing coaches to employ wing‑backs instead of pure wing‑forwards.
Dominik Thalhammer, former women’s national team coach and head of ÖFB coach education, argues that the lack of wing‑players is a symptom rather than a cause. He cites French winger Kingsley Coman, who recalled Pep Guardiola’s philosophy: “Das Spiel sei darauf ausgerichtet gewesen, die Flügelspieler ins Eins‑gegen‑eins zu bringen.” Der quote illustrates how top‑level systems deliberately create Dribbling opportunities.
Jacob Hödl exemplifies how a system can reshape a natural Dribbler. He uses dynamism and power to break pressure on the Fuß, yet he employs fewer classic wing tricks in one‑on‑one Duell. Eine shift in his development, Thalhammer suggests, would have raised his market value considerably.
The evidence shows Austria does not lack Dribbler talent; the question is whether they receive enough Raum to showcase it before tactical Form redirects them. Warum the clubs (Sie) continue to prioritise compact defensive shapes, the pipeline of wing‑players will remain constrained, keeping the debate alive. This Artikel, available only with a KURIER Abo, underlines the broader significance for Austrian Fußball.