After Norway's 2-1 win over Austria in the 2nd round of the UEFA B League, Austria's head coach Ronny Longnecker was interviewed by the media and gave an in-depth analysis and reflection on the match.
Ronnie reviewed his team's strategy, "Our basic idea was clear: we wanted to get up and attack early. However, in the early part of the game, we encountered a lot of problems with long passes, which affected the rhythm of our offense. However, after some timely adjustments, we gradually got into the best shape in the next period and almost took the lead."
However, the Norwegian team's increased time of possession in the second half put the Austrian team under pressure. Rangnick said, "In the second half, Norway's time of possession was a little too much for us, which put us under a lot of pressure defensively. But overall, it was an evenly matched game with many signs that it could end in a draw."
Speaking about Harland's decisive goal, Rangnick believes it was controversial: "The goal could have been ruled offside or it could have been ruled valid, and the VAR noticed that Kerfield was a little bit further back, but in the end it was still ruled valid. It didn't help, we lost. However, this is soccer and sometimes penalties decide the game."
For the upcoming matches, Rangnick showed strong confidence: "Now we have to make sure we win the next home matches so that everything is still possible. Our whole team needs to be more aggressive on defense and more purposeful in possession. We need to create more chances to break down the defense. We are missing some very important players, but we can't use that as an excuse. In the Europa League, we have won against the strongest team, showing our tenacity and fighting spirit. Against a Norwegian team with world-class players, we have to fight these games like the weaker side."
Rangnick's speech showed his clear understanding of the current situation of the team and his firm belief in the future. I believe that under his leadership, the Austrian team will be able to get back to form and achieve better results in the coming matches.
