Austria's head coach Ralf Rangnick and Nicolas Seiwald preview their UEFA Euro 2024 last 16 with Turkiye
01/07/2024
UEFA
Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany
01/07/2024
UEFA
Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Welcome everybody to today's Matchday Minus One press conference with Austria ahead of the Round 16 game against Turkey tomorrow.
00:19I'm delighted to be joined on the top table by Ralf Rangnick and also Christian Baumgartner and Niklas Seivold.
00:28Just a few reminders about the housekeeping rules.
00:32Please keep your questions to English, German, Turkish or Italian.
00:39To ask a question, please raise your hand and wait for one of our volunteers to bring you the microphone.
00:44Then please state your name, your media organisation in this country and who the question is for.
00:50It's one question per reporter so that we can allow as many questions from different reporters as possible.
00:57I'll now hand over to Thomas, the Austria press officer.
01:20First of all, I have to correct Thomas. There's only one old Leipziger here and two young Leipzigers.
01:46I think that if someone had predicted that we would advance to the next round as the group winners and play in the round of 16 here in Leipzig,
01:59they would have been very optimistic and that we managed to do so is great.
02:06But above all, I don't think it's a coincidence that we're playing here in this stadium today.
02:12I can remember that in 2012, when I started here, we played against Optik Rathenau and the second team from Union Berlin.
02:21That was just 12 years ago.
02:24I'm very happy that we're here tomorrow.
02:28I'm also happy for the two boys sitting next to me who are currently playing for RB Leipzig.
02:33Also for those like Conny Leimer and Marcel Sabitzer who have made their contribution here for many years.
02:40And of course I wish that not only the Austrian fans, but also the Leipziger fans who were able to gather a ticket tomorrow, support us strongly.
02:54As the coach said, it's something special.
02:58Some familiar faces among you, even outside.
03:02It's something special when you walk into the stadium and just feel at home.
03:09Because we've played most of the games in the stadium during the year.
03:13We've already experienced some really cool moments in there.
03:17That's why we're very happy that the game is here in Leipzig.
03:22I can relate to that.
03:24I feel very comfortable when I walk into the stadium.
03:27It's an advantage that we're allowed to play in Leipzig.
03:33We're looking forward to tomorrow.
03:35It's going to be a really cool game.
03:40Good evening, Tubert Giegler, Kleine Zeitung Austria.
03:43A question for the two players.
03:45It was a long week.
03:47The preparation for such a tournament took a long time.
03:52How did you manage to maintain the tension for this game?
03:58Basically, we know the rhythm of the Bundesliga.
04:02We play every Saturday.
04:04We have seven days in between.
04:06For us players, it's nothing special.
04:11Maybe it's unusual in a tournament like this.
04:14But we know it.
04:16I think we did a good job of creating a good balance
04:20between regenerating and getting our heads clear.
04:23The first few days, we tried to stay away from football.
04:28Then, in the evening, we started playing again.
04:32In the first round of the quarterfinals,
04:34we got our focus back.
04:37We had good training sessions.
04:39So, I don't think it's a problem for us at all.
04:45Next question, please.
04:47In the front, in row one.
04:50TRT from Turkey.
04:53Last March, you played against Turkey.
04:58It was a disaster game for Turkey.
05:00Do you have any progress in Turkish national football?
05:05What do you consider our weakest and strongest part?
05:12I don't think it was a big issue for us in our group.
05:20I don't think it will have any impact on the game tomorrow.
05:26Nor will it have an impact on the result.
05:28We know that the Turkish team is very strong.
05:32They always try to find good solutions.
05:37No one will believe that we won the game because of our friendship.
05:43In hindsight, we won the game because we were too high.
05:47The game could have developed differently.
05:50We don't see it as an advantage for us.
05:56We focus on our way of playing tomorrow.
06:00Of course, we also focus on what Turkey wants from us tomorrow.
06:04As I said, the game doesn't matter to us.
06:08Next question, please.
06:14TV Buspor from Turkey.
06:16I want to ask Mr. Reining.
06:18Two coaches with different philosophies will play tomorrow.
06:23What are the differences between your football style and Montella's style?
06:29Between Montella and?
06:32It's not my job to evaluate that.
06:36It's your job.
06:38We play our style, our football.
06:41I don't know if there are any differences.
06:45What is noticeable, at least in this European Championship,
06:49is that there are many teams that play very man-oriented.
06:56There are only a few teams that attack ball-oriented and aggressively early on.
07:04That is certainly a difference.
07:08The most important thing is to be on the pitch tomorrow.
07:13From now on, it's not about development or anything else.
07:16It's about getting further and winning games.
07:19We need a very concentrated and good performance to get through tomorrow and win.
07:31The colleague in the middle, next to the famous Mr. Hagel.
07:49You could argue that the Czech players last week maybe got a bit sucked into it.
07:53There were lots of yellow cards and lots of different things going on.
07:57Will you say, or have you said anything to your players
08:01about handling the specific nature of this occasion against Turkey?
08:08I don't know.
08:09Of course, we saw the game.
08:11I think the Czechs did well on both sides.
08:17They played very physically.
08:21But I think the real difference was the early yellow-red card and the early red card.
08:27I don't know if the game would have developed similarly if there had been an equaliser.
08:32But they were one man down very early on.
08:35For our game tomorrow, of course, we know that Turkey is a team
08:39that will also try to bring emotions into the game.
08:42For us, it will come down to it.
08:44For our style of play, we also need a lot of energy.
08:46We also need the highest possible energy level.
08:49To put it in a bit of a plastic way, we also need hot hearts on the pitch.
08:54But we still need a cool head in every situation.
08:57From my point of view, it will come down to that, especially for us tomorrow.
09:04Christian Bayer, Servus TV.
09:06Mr. Rangnick, your mindset was clear from the start.
09:10You also talked about the roadmaps.
09:12You always said that you wanted to get far in the tournament.
09:15Also in this so-called hammer group.
09:17We won that now.
09:18How do you go into this match tomorrow?
09:20Do you possibly go in as a favourite?
09:22How do you see that?
09:24You have already asked me these questions in every group game.
09:28Against whom we were favourites or not.
09:30The fact that we became group winners in this group alone
09:34shows how pointless these mind games are.
09:38They don't help us at all.
09:40The tournament starts for us tomorrow completely anew
09:45and starts anew again.
09:47We have to switch to this playoff mode from tomorrow.
09:51Be fully concentrated, fully focused.
09:54Be aware that mistakes in such a game are only bad
10:00or almost impossible to correct.
10:03If we can pull through this mode,
10:06we can move on to the next game tomorrow.
10:08Then the next game will probably be the same.
10:11But we have to have this game tomorrow on the radar
10:15and play again tomorrow with everything that makes us strong
10:19and what brought us there.
10:23Maybe a question to the boys next.
10:36We're here in Leipzig.
10:37I have to ask you about Emil Vossberg.
10:40Could you see him return here to Leipzig in the future
10:43in any kind of management role?
10:45Recently he said that you have been a big inspiration for him
10:49and taught him a lot working with things outside the pitch.
10:56Emil is also one of the players who,
10:58like Marcel Sabitzer, came here in the second division
11:02during the winter break.
11:05He still plays for a Red Bull club in New York.
11:13What happens at the end of his career,
11:15as I know Emil, he wants to play a few more years.
11:18It's hard to predict now.
11:21In the end, it's not my job to assess or decide.
11:26But of course I wish Emil all the best.
11:30He is an extremely valuable part of the development that happened here.
11:35A great player, but also an interpersonal player
11:38who was extremely popular in the dressing room,
11:41but also with the fans.
11:43Harry Bartl, Flo Haslmeyer and then the colleague from the Spanish TV in the front.
11:48A question to Nikolaus Seiwald.
11:50You had less playing time at RB Leipzig than you deserve, in my opinion.
11:56How special is it to come here now,
11:59with the view that you are a regular here
12:02and that you can show everyone here over 90 minutes or 120 maybe?
12:08First of all, it's about showing a good performance tomorrow.
12:13My full focus is now on Austria.
12:15We really want to win the game tomorrow
12:18to have more games.
12:22That's where my full focus is right now.
12:27Flo Haslmeyer in the front.
12:31Florian Haslmeyer from APA.
12:32A question to the two players, Baumi and Niki.
12:35The Turkish team boss and the opinion in Turkey is also
12:40that the Austrian national team plays very similarly to a club team,
12:43that it is very integrated.
12:45How do you express this?
12:47What are the points that can be compared with a club team?
12:50How far does this statement go?
12:53I think that we, especially since the coach took over with his coaching team,
12:59that we have developed a very clear game philosophy.
13:02No matter which opponent, no matter what the match plan is,
13:07we always try to put this philosophy in place.
13:10I think that makes us very strong.
13:12In a certain way, it's an anchor for us,
13:15on which we can always hold on.
13:17I think that it is much more difficult to develop this in a national team
13:22than in a club team, where you can work with the whole squad every day.
13:28I would interpret this as the opinion of the Turkish team boss.
13:48Do you have the feeling that this team could do something special in this tournament,
13:55for example arriving to the final?
14:00Yes, we are back to what is likely and what is not likely.
14:04I said at the beginning of the tournament that we would come to the final
14:09or even become European champions.
14:11I don't think this is very likely, but also not completely impossible.
14:14I am still of the opinion.
14:17I also saw Spain yesterday.
14:20We all saw the game.
14:22This is also a team that, apart from having outstanding individual players,
14:28also plays tactically for a national team on a very high, demanding level,
14:34with very early counter-pressing, with always outstanding switching situations.
14:41We see all of this completely realistically.
14:44As the boys and I have said before, there is only one way to get as far as possible.
14:51That is to deal with the next game and to approach every next game as if it were the last.
14:58This is exactly what we intend to do and what we want to do tomorrow.
15:03Then we will see how far this will take us.
15:06But that has led us to the fact that we are allowed to play in Leipzig today and not somewhere else.
15:11This is also the only way to get further in this tournament.
15:24In the Polish game, there was the phase after the lead-in where the head came in.
15:28That was this compulsory win that we have always known since the draw.
15:32After that and before that, you were also able to play on the outside.
15:36Now you are a favourite against Turkey in the FIFA World Cup.
15:39Do you feel that this is no longer a pressure, that everything you have already shown,
15:44that you can continue to play freely?
15:47Or is there also a headache and did you also work on it?
15:53Games like that are always a bit of a headache.
15:55But I think that we really wanted to get further in the group.
16:02Of course, we want that now too.
16:04But of course, this Polish game was a certain pressure situation.
16:08You may have noticed that in some phases.
16:11I think it's primarily about enjoying every minute we have in the tournament.
16:17To have fun, to implement what we have been working on for the last few days.
16:22And then, as I said, it's more of a great anticipation for the game.
16:27When you see how the whole country is looking forward to it, it's just something special.
16:31We want to give joy to all of us, but of course also to the people in Austria
16:36and to the people who come to the stadium.
16:38And once again show what we are capable of.
16:43A question to the team manager.
16:44Mr. Rangnick, Austria would be in the first place in a quarter-final for the first time.
16:49This historical dimension, is that something that is even discussed in advance of such a game
16:55or does it not matter at all?
16:57It was all cheating from the start.
17:01Yes, that's true.
17:02But it is also true that Austria has not won in a competitive game against Turkey for 35 years.
17:09We already had that with various other opponents that we had now.
17:14These are all things that are there to fill newspaper reports or other reports.
17:22Also to read excitingly.
17:24But in the end, I think we have relatively little to do with the outcome and the course of the game.
17:30Otto Rehagel once said, it is important to be on the pitch.
17:33And that's exactly how it is with our game tomorrow.
17:39Christian Hagel, nothing more.
17:40A question to the colleague in the second row.
17:41Please, a short hand signal so that the colleague with the microphone also knows where to go.
17:48Hello, Mr. Rangnick.
17:49Ajax for us, for Turkey.
17:52The Danish coach Hulman has complained about semi-automatic offside technology.
18:01What do you think about this technology and VAR in general?
18:06Yes, I think I was one of the coaches who, even at the beginning of my activity here in Leipzig,
18:12made himself very intensively strong for it.
18:15Because it was not logical for me at the time why other sports,
18:19also other ball sports, worked with this technology.
18:23And it is still the case that football becomes fairer and more just.
18:29But, of course, it still does not exclude interpretation space.
18:33For example, in handball, the offside decision was already very close.
18:40I could also, and Julian certainly expressed it similarly,
18:43absolutely understand the dissatisfaction or disappointment of the Danes.
18:50Nevertheless, I am convinced that over the next few years,
18:53if the whole thing is still right,
18:55if you still develop the right feeling for the situation,
19:00that football will be fairer.
19:02And that's why I'm still for it.
19:05And I still hope that there will be as few VAR decisions as possible in our game tomorrow,
19:12but that the game will be decided on the pitch without VAR.
19:17Philipp Krumholz, Servus TV question to both players.
19:20It was already a very short topic at the press conference today,
19:23that the player Turkey defines itself through a lot of passion.
19:27If you look at the Czech game, eleven yellow cards,
19:30there was a lot of hectic, there was almost chaos with it at the end.
19:34Do you consider players to be special in such a game,
19:39that you don't let yourself be provoked, for example?
19:41Or Tim Schöld also mentioned it before.
19:43The heart is hot, but a cool head.
19:46How do you prepare yourself for that?
19:48Are you really aware of that?
19:51Yes, not necessarily.
19:53As a player, you know that you need a cool head in such a game.
19:57That is very important.
19:59Of course, the pulse is extremely high in such a game.
20:02It will be intense tomorrow.
20:04Nevertheless, the brain has to be clear,
20:08so that you make the right decisions.
20:11Emotionally, too, you have to make the right decisions.
20:17I totally agree with Niki.
20:19In the end, it's a football game.
20:22The biggest focus has to be on ourselves.
20:25I think we are a team that is quite aggressive.
20:29As I said, we will also try to bring emotions into the game.
20:34Controlled emotions.
20:36If we can do that on the pitch,
20:38then we don't have to worry that the game will slip out of our hands
20:44because we are crazy.
20:51Julia Kinnast, ServusTV.
20:53Christoph, a question for you.
20:54I already know about Niki.
20:55Did Marco Rose contact you?
20:57Did the coach praise you here in Leipzig?
21:00Yes, we talked on the phone during the tournament.
21:03It was the day after his contract extension.
21:07Of course, I congratulated him.
21:09I am very happy that he is still with us.
21:12He said that he follows our games.
21:15I think he is a fan of our team.
21:19He likes the way we play.
21:22He wishes us a lot of success.
21:25I don't know if he will be in the stadium tomorrow.
21:28He enjoys his well-deserved vacation.
21:31We are looking forward to seeing him again.
21:34But now the focus is on the game.
21:37If we deliver good performances,
21:40especially the two of us,
21:43then it won't hurt us on the club level.
21:46Everyone will be happy with us.
21:50Johannes Hofer, Sky Austria.
21:52Niki, what is the big difference between the group stage
21:55and the co-stage?
21:58The team manager has already characterized it.
22:01It is the beginning of a new tournament.
22:04We have to win the game tomorrow.
22:07We have to win the game tomorrow.
22:10We have to win the game tomorrow.
22:13We have to win the game tomorrow.
22:16We have to win the game tomorrow.
22:19If we don't lose,
22:22we won't be able to perform well against France.
22:25If we don't lose,
22:28we won't be able to perform well against France.
22:31A good performance helps us,
22:34but the result is in the foreground.
22:37A good performance helps us,
22:40but the result is in the foreground.
22:43Martin Henkel, RB Live.
22:46Hello, Mr. Rangnick, nice to see you again.
22:49You three know the stadium like the back of your hand.
22:52Does it help you to know the pitch so well?
22:55Maybe small irregularities,
22:58the ceiling for the sprinklers, etc.?
23:03I think we have been chosen
23:06as the best pitch in Germany.
23:09That's definitely true.
23:12It's an outstanding pitch
23:15and it will benefit us a lot.
23:18I don't know where the sprinklers are.
23:21I don't know where the sprinklers are.
23:24It's a good feeling when you enter the stadium.
23:27We know a lot of faces here.
23:30As the coach said,
23:33hopefully the neutral fans will be on our side.
23:36They will probably have more to do with us
23:39and the Turkish team.
23:42Otherwise, it's just a football game
23:45and it's about winning the game.
23:48At the end of the day,
23:51it doesn't matter in which stadium.
23:54We just have to win the game
23:57and the rest is not important.
24:00I don't know where the sprinklers are.
24:03I don't know where the sprinklers are.
24:06I don't know where the sprinklers are.
24:09It's just a good feeling.
24:12I hope it will help us tomorrow.
24:15It's not a disadvantage.
24:23What is the reason
24:26why you couldn't play
24:29in the Bundesliga last season?
24:37Both players fit
24:40the way we want to play.
24:43On the respective positions.
24:46Niki on one of the two 6th positions
24:49and Baumi on the 10th position.
24:52Most importantly in the center
24:55because he can play there
24:58with his goal danger
25:01and his eye for the deadly pass
25:05and that's the main reason
25:08why they play like that.
25:11I think the way we want to play
25:14is absolutely opposite for both.
25:17I just thought about it
25:20while Niki was talking.
25:23He played every minute
25:26and still managed
25:29not to get a yellow card.
25:33Baumi scored 6 times
25:36in the last 7 games
25:39and he is an extremely important player
25:42for us who can make the difference.
25:45That's why I'm happy
25:48that we have these two guys.
25:51But as Baumi said
25:54it's the whole team
25:57that makes the difference.
26:00That will be a very important
26:03aspect for tomorrow.
26:09Benjamin Post, Leipziger Volkszeitung.
26:12First question to all three of you.
26:15What did you like the most
26:18besides your own performance?
26:21What surprised you the most?
26:24Do you see any trends?
26:27Erbe, Austria.
26:30How would you describe them?
26:33Trine already described them.
26:36What do you think?
26:39I think compared to Erbe
26:42I play in a different position.
26:45At Erbe I played as a right back.
26:48Here it's more like
26:51I played as a right back
26:54at Erbe.
26:57Here it's more central.
27:00As the coach said
27:03I'm doing better.
27:06Other than that it's just little things.
27:09Little things that make it seem
27:12that it hasn't worked out
27:15as well here as it did
27:18in the national team.
27:21I'm happy to know
27:24that I can turn it around
27:27in one season.
27:30I'll stay calm and do my thing.
27:33As for the European Championship
27:36it's a very cool place to be.
27:39I think there's no other country
27:42like Germany where a football festival
27:45like this happens.
27:48There are a lot of cool players.
27:51What stood out to me
27:54were a lot of wide shots.
27:57Maybe a bit more than usual.
28:00As the coach said
28:03there's a lot of man-orientation
28:06especially in the centre.
28:09But other than that
28:12football stays the same.
28:15I like our fans.
28:18They support us.
28:21They make the tournament happen.
28:24After the third game
28:27I heard from two or three of my friends
28:30that it was the best day of their lives
28:33that we were the first in the group.
28:36That makes me proud.
28:39I'm happy for them.
28:42Ralf, what do you think?
28:45I think we all experienced
28:48what was going on in Berlin
28:51after the game.
28:54Those 15-20 minutes
28:57could have gone on for another two hours.
29:00The fans would still be there
29:03and would have sung.
29:06When the whole team sings
29:09it makes you want more.
29:12We hope to experience
29:15those moments more often.
29:18Two more questions.
29:25Question to the players.
29:28Sorry, Niki.
29:31Rasta is a bit different
29:34than expected.
29:38England were almost eliminated yesterday.
29:41Do you start to speculate
29:44what could be possible?
29:47It's the same question
29:50as with the table.
29:53Every player says no.
29:56At the end of the day
29:59everyone is looking at something.
30:02The focus is on tomorrow.
30:05We have to put the past behind us
30:08to see where it could go.
30:11That's what I mean.
30:14The focus is on tomorrow.
30:17We'll see what happens.
30:20I agree.
30:23The focus is on tomorrow.
30:26Without a win tomorrow
30:29we can't go on.
30:32We can't win tomorrow.
30:35We have to give 100% tomorrow.
30:38We'll see what happens.
30:41A question to Christoph.
30:44Austria start aggressively
30:47in every game
30:50and are always in the game.
30:53You have always profited
30:56with quick, good actions and goals.
30:59With this style you're in the game
31:02from the first minute.
31:05It doesn't matter.
31:08It doesn't matter
31:11how we play.
31:14It doesn't matter
31:17if we're in the lead
31:20or if we're under pressure.
31:23It doesn't matter.
31:26We don't wait for the perfect pass.
31:29Of course we try to wait
31:32for the right moment.
31:35The most important thing
31:38is to be energetic
31:41and go forward.
31:44Maybe we're lucky
31:47but it's no coincidence
31:50that we started well.
31:53It's easier if you're in the lead.
31:56If we succeed tomorrow
31:59we'll all be happy.
32:02Thank you for your answers.
32:05We'll see you tomorrow.