Ex-Austrian in Poland
“Does your purple heart ache, Alexander Gorgon?”
He may not have been active in Austria for around eight years, but Alexander Gorgon has never forgotten Vienna and, above all, Austria during all his years as a legionnaire! It is therefore hardly surprising that the 35-year-old, who has since moved to the land of his ancestors, is also cheering and suffering with Violett from Poland. Find out what else he has to say about Austria's upcoming European Championship clash with Poland, the differences between the Bundesliga and Ekstraklasa and his future in part 2 of the big interview with our Pogoń Szczecin legionnaire!
krone.at: The Ekstraklasa is probably a big unknown in Austria outside of the Polish community. How do you rate the level of the league here compared to that in Austria or Croatia?
Alexander Gorgon: Every league has its own special features. In Croatia, for example, a lot of emphasis is placed on technical soccer - where the intensity is perhaps not so great, where the ball is capped once in a while, where crosses are perhaps played once in a while. Here in Poland, things are pretty straightforward, with a single-minded approach to goal, where you can feel the physicality in every duel. It's not really on many people's radar, the Polish Ekstraklasa, but I think there's still a lot of potential in terms of marketing. There are already some top games here in every round ...
krone.at: In terms of infrastructure, the difference between Croatia and Poland is exorbitant, isn't it?
Gorgon: The bigger the league, the more attractive it is. When I was still playing in Austria, there were only ten teams - where you played each team four times, where you hardly had to do any video analysis after the second game because you knew your opponent by heart. It was the same in Croatia, where there were also ten teams. That got old relatively quickly. Here in Poland, you have a first and second leg against every team in the 18-team league. You can also see how much everything has developed with the stadiums. Of course, this was also due to the EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. And teams that had a very old stadium have also developed further. Somehow, all clubs manage to be financially viable so that the infrastructure is suitable and the images from the TV cameras are also attractive for viewers at home ...
krone.at: As far as international duels are concerned, the balance between Austrian and Polish clubs is fairly even, with 16 versus 18 wins. Even if games from decades ago are also included, does this balance of power still apply? What role would Pogoń Szczecin play in Austria?
Gorgon: That's always a very interesting question, where a team from one league would stand in another. I think Pogoń Szczecin would definitely be somewhere in the top four ...
krone.at: We've seen a representative of Poland this year in the European Cup as an opponent of Sturm Graz with Raków Częstochowa ...
Gorgon: And Legia Warsaw played against Austria in the qualifiers, where they got through - even if it was a very tight game. So in Poland, with the top five or six teams in the table, you actually have teams that could also play for a title in Austria, in any case. But in general, I think that Austria is probably one or two steps ahead of Poland in terms of the national team.
krone.at: As luck would have it, Austria will face Poland at the European Football Championships next summer - in other words, the country where you both live and work and, moreover, the country of your ancestors. An exciting duel for you personally?
Gorgon: Definitely! Every time Austria meets Poland, I get a lot of messages and phone calls - and I'm asked who I'm rooting for. I've already said before that I'm always a bit torn because I have both countries in my heart. That's why it will be an exciting duel for me ... (thinks for a moment) I think the Austrians have a slight advantage, the Poles have had a very, very hard time recently, having to fight to the end for their ticket to the European Championship. With Austria, you can see that there has been an incredible development, that the team has completely changed since Ralf Rangnick took over. A team spirit has developed where people believe in the whole project and also that they can beat the big boys. I'll be at a training camp with Pogoń Szczecin when Austria meet Poland, but we'll definitely time our training so that we can watch the game ... (grins)
krone.at: And your prediction: who will win?
Gorgon: It's hard to say, a lot can happen between now and then. I hope that all the players stay fit and that nothing unexpected happens. In general, it will be an exciting group, but I think Austria have a very, very good chance of advancing from the group. That's why I almost think they could beat the Poles by a narrow margin. But as I said, a lot of things have to go right at such a major event for you to win.
krone.at: And how do you assess public opinion here in Poland?
Gorgon: I think people are already aware that Poland are the underdogs in the group and that a small miracle would have to happen for them to advance. But still, there are some stars in the Polish national team: just think of Robert Lewandowski, who can sometimes turn half a chance into a goal. That's why our hopes are still there ...
krone.at: There have been many changes in the position of Poland team manager in recent times - after Jerzy Brzęczek, who lasted around two and a half years, three national team coaches have been in office for barely a year. Not that we're not familiar with coaching discussions in Austria, but what's going on with the Poles?
Gorgon:(ponders) Good question. I think that it wasn't just the results that were lacking, they were also dissatisfied with the way the national team was playing. There was simply no coach who had somehow managed to form a unit out of these big stars. They tried, of course, first with one coach, then with another and then they thought they had to bring in a star coach like Santos (European champion coach with Portugal in 2016, ed.). Of course, it didn't work out at all with him - because of the language barrier and because he stood for the old school, which simply didn't suit the national team. Now, on the other hand, things are looking much better and the hope here in Poland is that this difficult match in the qualifying play-off, when they got past Wales, will create a kind of euphoria - even if they weren't as satisfied with the quality of the qualifying matches as they were.
krone.at: Now I've got you thinking about the differences in the standard of soccer in Austria and Poland, even though you haven't played in the red-white-red countries for almost eight years. How closely do you still follow events in the Austrian Bundesliga - and especially those at your former club Austria?
Gorgon: I do follow it, if time permits and I'm not on the pitch myself - then I do watch the Austrian Bundesliga. I'm probably not as engrossed now as I was when I was playing for Austria, but I do get a lot out of it. Of course, it's been a very difficult time for Austria in recent years ...
krone.at: Does that make your purple heart ache?
Gorgon: Yes, of course! You're still connected to your youth club. That's why I was all the happier when the license application was successful in the first instance. That's already a good sign ...
krone.at: The incidents following Austria's loss of the Vienna derby were also a big stir in Austria this spring. Did anyone in Poland notice anything about that?
Gorgon: I have to admit that I don't read the Polish media much here. It wasn't really an issue in the dressing room, the lads would have mentioned it to me. Of course I heard about it, I didn't just watch the derby, but also these scenes. I think everything has already been said about it. I think the people in charge are sorry themselves, of course something like that shouldn't happen.
krone.at: There has always been a rivalry between Austria and Rapid. Has the rivalry also increased among the players and officials in the meantime, or do people simply take a closer look nowadays?
Gorgon: That's a good question. I think the sporting rivalry will always remain, and that's okay. I can tell you from my past as an Austria kid that we were taught as youngsters: "Anything green is bad." As soon as someone came to training at Austria wearing green soccer boots, the coach said: "No, you can't play in those." (reflects briefly) You were drilled from the start: purple is purple, green is green. As long as everything stays sporting and this rivalry stays within a healthy framework, it's okay. It's nice to see the fans representing their own club in this way and to be able to build up the tension all week for the media, for the spectators and for the players. But as soon as it takes on this unhealthy framework, where there's violence or when families have to think about whether they're going to the game at all, then it's simply not the right topic ...
krone.at: You're 35 years old and - even if your performance in the Ekstraklasa this year suggests otherwise - you're not exactly getting any younger. How much longer do you intend to actively keep your bones on the pitch for glory, honor and points? Do you already have plans for the time after that?
Gorgon: I would like to play for as long as my body allows - as long as it still feels healthy, I would like to squeeze my body like a lemon. But once I see that it no longer makes sense, that the boys are running around my ears, that I can no longer keep up, then I know: "That's enough!" Then I step down. But as long as I can see that I can still do it, I really enjoy it. Of course, it takes a lot of strength, a lot of energy and I also need my rest periods, more regeneration than before. But it really is a lot of fun ... (hesitates) I don't know how long it will last, whether it's two years or three ...
krone.at: You still have a contract until ...
Gorgon: I have one year left on my contract after this season - but I don't see the end coming after next year, let's see. Now I'm in the process of getting my UEFA B coaching license. That's a side project of mine and maybe others will follow. Let's take a look ...
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