Rangnick's Austria Surprise After Group Stage Success, Face Turkey in Euros Knockout Round

When Austria recruited manager Ralf Rangnick in 2022 following a terrible spell at Manchester United, many eyes were raised. However, the 66-year-old German has elevated Austria to the national team and gained them respect. Austria is now a contender for Euro 2024.

Turkey will face Austria in the round of 16 on Tuesday. Austria is one of the biggest stories of the competition after defeating formidable rivals France and the Netherlands to win their group.

Austria secured a spot in the knockout round for the second time in as many games, winning 3-1 against Poland and 3-2 against the highly-regarded Netherlands following a tough 1-0 loss to World Cup runners-up France.

Following the win over the Netherlands, Rangnick remarked, "It's amazing to actually win the group."

Marcel Sabitzer, the midfielder for Borussia Dortmund who scored the game-winning goal against the Netherlands, commented, "You can't be that bad when you beat the Netherlands and win the group."

The Austrian team that Rangnick took over did not make it to the 2022 World Cup. The game they were playing was boring, and Austrians had lost interest in their squad.

The "Godfather of gegenpressing," Rangnick has impacted coaches like Juergen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel. The technique involves intense counter-pressing to win the ball back quickly, ideally high up the pitch.

His current team, Austria, is one of the most fun to watch because of their free-flowing, daring style, which has set them apart from teams like England and Belgium that have more cautious group-stage tactics.

"You can see that nothing is missed, even when we rotate," Sabitzer remarked. "Everyone on the pitch is aware of their responsibilities in their position."

Although Austria defeated Turkey 6-1 in a friendly match in March, they anticipate a more formidable challenge from their opponents in Leipzig, who made it to the knockout phase for the first time since 2008.

Turkey is also enjoying some momentum following their victory over 10-man Czechia, when they secured their place in the round of 16 thanks to a late goal from Cenk Tosun, who came off the bench.

Baris Alper Yilmaz, Turkey's dynamic attacker, gave the victory credit along with the thousands of boisterous supporters.

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Yilmaz remarked, "They are our second family." Reuters