Euro 2008 Team Profile: Austria

Nickname: Nope. Used to be the Wunderteam, but those days are long gone.

Jersey: Standard red Puma shirt at home, interesting choice of black for away. Take a look.

FIFA World Ranking: 101st (as of May 2008) - Austria are the worst team at Euro 2008 rankings wise, by some distance.

Fixtures/Schedule: Group B
June 8th vs Croatia (Vienna) 18:00
June 12th vs Poland (Vienna) 20:45
June 16th vs Germany (Vienna) 20:45

Coach: Josef Hickersberger
In his second spell as national team boss, though there’ve been 16 years between tenures. Hickersberger coached Austria at the 1990 World Cup, but finished third in Group A. Then quit after losing a Euro ‘92 qualifier to the Faroe Islands. So whatever happens at Euro 2008, at least it can’t be worse than that.

After managing in the Middle East (including a spell in charge of the Bahrain national team) Hickersberger returned to Austria in 2002 and won the title with Rapid Vienna in 2005. Returned to the top job in 2006.

Expectations: Let’s say not good. Certain pessimistic supporters (though that’s really not the right word) have been petitioning for Austria to withdraw, because they think the current team will embarrass the nation.

So in that context, just scoring a goal would be worth a lap of honour. In reality, making it out of the group would be an excellent achievement and the only result Austria could claim as a success.

Key Player: Captain and playmaker Andreas Ivanschitz. They call him the Austrian Beckham, but that’s not entirely accurate. Ivanschitz can kick with his left. Huge pressure on the Panathanaikos player coming into this tournament.

If Mozart’s homeland are going to play anything even resembling a winning tune, then Ivanshitz will be expected to conduct the orchestra. Since apologies for that metaphor. Won’t happen again.

Here’s Ivanschitz’s highlight reel, set to the apparently obligatory “10% luck, 20% skill” etcetera etcetera song.

Other Key Players: Defenders Emmanuel Pogatez (Middlesbrough) and Martin Stranzl (Spartak Moscow) will need to be in decent form, as will keeper Alex Manninger (who apparently had a decent 2007/8 with Siena.) Up front it’s hard to say where the goals will come from, but Rapid Vienna’s Erwin “Jimmy” Hoffer has at least got some pace to play with.

X-Factor: Home advantage. Will playing in front of the home crowd help the Austrian players raise their game? Remember South Korea were World Cup semi-finalists when they co-hosted in 2002. Or will the pressure not to embarrass themselves on home soil become a self-fulfilling prophecy?

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Alexander Manninger (Siena), Juergen Macho (AEK Athens), Ramazan Ozcan (Hoffenheim)

Defenders: Gyorgy Garics (Napoli), Ronald Gercaliu (Austria Vienna), Martin Hiden (Kaernten), Markus Katzer (Rapid Vienna), Juergen Patocka (Rapid Vienna), Emmanuel Pogatetz (Middlesbrough), Sebastian Proedl (Sturm Graz), Martin Stranzl (Spartak Moscow)

Midfielders: Rene Aufhauser (Salzburg), Christian Fuchs (Mattersburg), Andreas Ivanschitz (Panathinaikos), Umit Korkmaz (Rapid Vienna), Christoph Leitgeb (Salzburg), Juergen Saeumel (Sturm Graz), Joachim Standfest (Austria Vienna), Ivica Vastic (Linz)

Forwards: Erwin Hoffer (Rapid Vienna), Roman Kienast (Ham-Kam), Roland Linz (Braga), Martin Harnik (Werder Bremen)

Complete Euro 2008 squads here.

Team Blogger: The Austria blog is in safe hands with j.

Random International Moments:

In this ridiculously high-scoring 1954 World Cup quartefinal, Austria beat Switzerland 7-5. Austria eventually finished third.

Austria 3-2 Germany at the 1978 World Cup in Cordoba, Argentina. This was the final game if the Second Group Round. Austria had already lost two games and were as good as out, while West Germany were still in contention.

So Austria put in a mighty mighty effort and pulled out a 3-2, preventing their neighbour from advancing.

And, not quite an international moment, but here’s a little something to get Austrian fans all emotional before Euro 2008…

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