Ralf Rangnick calls the first ÖFB training session of the new season a “fresh start”. In the UEFA Nations League, Marko Arnautovic and Co. will play away against Slovenia (6 September) and Norway (9 September).
But first, the players have a look back on the agenda. It is tradition that Rangnick and his team have prepared a “Welcome Back” video for the day of the reunion. This time, it will cover EURO 2024.
And this video is sure to be something special. “I’ve watched it two or three times and I’ve had tears in my eyes every time,” reveals the team manager. Never before has it taken him so long to get over a game as it did after the defeat in the European Championship round of 16 against Turkey. What ultimately helped? “Nothing,” he says. But as we all know, time heals all wounds.
The tearful farewell
But somehow it still annoys the team manager: “Two goals conceded from set pieces still annoy me immensely. We can rightly be blamed for that.”
After the game in Leipzig, the team went to the hotel. “The players sat together in the lobby for three hours, until 4:30 in the morning. The entire team was without cell phones, partly silent, partly speaking in small groups. That is remarkable and shows the extreme cohesion of the group,” says Rangnick.
“The next day, when we said goodbye, there were a lot of tears,” says the German. And that will probably be the case again when watching the “Welcome Back” video.
What do you think of this article?
