Chopped-and-changed Austria a great unknown for Ireland
Austria's national football team is undergoing a significant transition under coach Ralf Rangnick, featuring a youthful squad and several new players. The team faces Ireland in an upcoming Nations League match while managing the absence of key veteran players.
Why it matters
International football squad management and tactical experimentation are critical for team performance in high-stakes tournaments like the Nations League.
If Heimir Hallgrímsson found time in the past while to do some homework on Austria to give himself a notion of the team Ireland might face in Thursday’s Nations League meeting in Dublin, he’d have had his work cut out.
After opening their campaign against Israel last Thursday, Austria head coach Ralf Rangnick made six changes to his side for Sunday’s meeting with Kosovo. In all, he used 24 players across the two ties. They won both 3-1, so he’d have been content enough with his chopping and changing.
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