"Experience is good"

Krueger to help ÖFB team with tournament experience

Ralph Krueger (right) with David Alaba

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

He won the European Hockey League with VEU Feldkirch in 1998 and managed the Edmonton Oilers and Buffalo Sabres in the NHL. The ÖFB team will also benefit from Ralph Krueger's experience at the European Football Championships in Germany. The 64-year-old, chairman of the supervisory board of Vienna's Austria and previously president of Premier League club Southampton, will hold a one-hour motivational workshop with the players at the team camp in Berlin on Thursday evening.

Krueger had already paid a visit to the ÖFB selection in Windischgarsten during preparations. The German-Canadian with a Swiss passport is staying at the team hotel from Wednesday to Friday, and Ralf Rangnick particularly appreciates his tournament experience. "This is the first European Championship for us as a coaching staff," explained the ÖFB team boss. Krueger, on the other hand, has experienced 13 World Championships and four Olympic Games as an ice hockey player and coach. "You can't get much more experience in a team sport."

"Experience is always good"
According to Rangnick, initially only the coaching team exchanged ideas with Krueger, but now the team should also be able to benefit from this in Berlin. "Experience is always good," explained defender Philipp Lienhart. "We try to implement as much as possible of what he passes on to us."

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

During training on Thursday, Krueger also had a long chat with "non-playing captain" David Alaba. The Real Madrid star traveled with the team to the European Championships despite his cruciate ligament rupture. In addition to creating a good atmosphere, he is expected to contribute his experience and serve as a motivator. A Spanish TV station, which reported on the session in Berlin's Olympic Park, called the 31-year-old Austria's "shadow captain".

"Blond Shaolin" motivates
According to the ÖFB, another motivational artist, Marc Gassert, will be with the team on certain days. The Asian martial artist, who calls himself "the blond Shaolin", already worked with the national team last year as a mental coach. The 47-year-old holds black belts in karate, taekwondo and Shaolin Kung Fu. He is a sought-after keynote speaker in Germany.

Marc Gassert (right), here at the team training camp in Windischgarsten in September 2023 with Marko Arnautovic

(Bild: APA/EXPA/JOHANN GRODER)

Two days before the European Championship opener against France, a visit to a concert by Rod Stewart should provide another distraction at the ÖFB camp. Rangnick has invited his coaching team and the players to the British veteran rocker's show on Saturday evening (20:00) at the Uber Arena in the east of Berlin's city center. It is around 45 minutes by bus from the team headquarters in the west. The following day, the final training session is scheduled for noon (11:45 a.m.) in Berlin before the ÖFB squad sets off for the game in Düsseldorf on Sunday afternoon (4:00 p.m.).