ÖFB Head Coach Rangnick Remains in Hospital
"What I can say about Ralf is that he is a tough guy, you can't knock him down easily," emphasized assistant coach Lars Kornetka, who represented the ÖFB head coach at the announcement of the squad for the upcoming Football World Cup qualifiers in Vienna.
ÖFB not worried about head coach Rangnick
After the recent international double-header, Rangnick already had pain, but still traveled to appointments in Styria or Vorarlberg as part of the "Train with the Head Coach" campaign, recalled the national coach's closest confidant in the sports field. According to Kornetka, there is no need to worry that Rangnick wants to retire earlier than planned due to his health problems. "I can't imagine that he would bury his head in the sand because of minor adversities," said the assistant coach, who has worked closely with Rangnick since 2007. "He loves this game too much for that. I believe we will have a lot of joy with him."
Absence of ÖFB head coach Rangnick has little impact on preparation
Rangnick recently had to undergo several ankle surgeries. During a long-planned procedure in mid-June, the German contracted a hospital germ. As this caused increasing problems, Rangnick has been in inpatient treatment at the Murnau accident clinic at Staffelsee for two weeks and had to undergo further procedures there.
According to his own statements, Kornetka talks to his boss daily. The preparation for the upcoming international double-header has not "differed significantly" from past training camps, explained the 47-year-old, who has been working with Rangnick at the ÖFB since May 2022. Due to the short time - the recent guest appearance in Bosnia (2:1) was only three weeks ago - the coaching team did not meet in person. "But we have had a lot of exchanges via Zoom calls and video. We actually always do that."
ÖFB team trains in Vienna starting next week
Rangnick was already limited in his mobility during the last team gathering at the beginning of September. In the training camp in Windischgarsten, the 67-year-old was not only using crutches but also frequently using the golf cart to spare his injured right ankle. In Bosnia, he covered the long distances in the stadium in Zenica with an e-bike. The ÖFB team will prepare in Vienna starting next Monday for the home game against San Marino. The match against Romania will take place in Bucharest.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.