Ralf Rangnick, the Austria coach, showed up with a smile at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf, despite a twenty-minute delay due to traffic jams, on the eve of the match against the Blues. “There is a very good atmosphere, everyone is in good shape”, estimates the German technician. He and his midfielder Konrad Laimer refused to return to the French context, marked by the press conference of Kylian Mbappé and Didier Deschamps, largely devoted to political news linked to the French legislative elections, a few hours earlier.
“I am focused on what my guys are doing, I am not going to comment on French politics”, swept Rangnick. The Bayern Munich player added: “As our coach said, we focus on ourselves, not what the opponent is doing. I don’t care what the French do, I know what we have to do tomorrow (Monday). »
Rangnick, who also said he was “impatient” to reunite with his former players Ibrahima Konaté and Dayot Upamecano, tried not to focus on Kylian Mbappé and broadened his tactical intentions by mentioning his famous gegenpressing: “He’s one of the best strikers in the world, not just in Europe. We know his qualities and we know that he is only one player among the eleven on the pitch. With our style of play we have to counter the whole team so that Mbappé does not receive balls. We studied the qualities of the opponent but we have qualities and we can win the match. »
