Austria and Slovakia tell me exciting times ahead for Newcastle United | OneFootball

I have finally got around to writing this up about Newcastle United, Austria and Slovakia.

What is the connection I hear you shout?

I suppose most of you will be thinking in some ways this is about Martin Dubvravka, though wondering exactly what is special about the fact that he plays for both Slovakia and Newcastle United.

Whilst as for Austria… difficult to guess any NUFC connection whatsover.

Let me take you back to Monday.

There were three matches at the 2024 European Championships.

They ended:

Romania 3 Ukraine 0

Belgium 0 Slovakia 1

France 1 Austria 0

Whilst Romania undoubtedly played well and indeed also back up what I am going to talk about, I wanted to concentrate on the other two games.

The Slovakia match saw them take a shock 7th minute lead BUT there was no shock by the end as to how/why they had defeated Belgium. Even though this was the biggest shock in the history of Euros tournaments, in terms of a win despite the losers having been so much higher in the world rankings. Belgium almost fifty places superior to Slovakia.

In the actual match though, Slovakia making a mockery of those dubious world rankings, they totally deserved this win.

Belgium may have had more of the ball (60% v 40%) but Slovakia had more corners (7 v 5) and just one less effort on target (4 v 5).

It was much more than that though, it was how the two teams played throughout the match.

Until they predictably tired towards the end, Slovakia were by far the better and more dangerous side.

Most neutrals would have picked pretty much an all Belgium eleven if asked to choose between all 22 starting players on the two teams BUT it was Slovakia who were by far the superior TEAM.

Why/how was this?

Well the Slovakia manager had a brave tactical set-up and a well drilled eleven players who all knew their jobs as part of the team. From the start they played a high press with pace and energy and Belgium just couldn’t live with it. The established well known superstars of Belgium just couldn’t cope with that brave, quick high press football, the likes of Lukaku, De Bruyne and others all floundering.

It was great to watch and the TV commentators struggling to make sense of it. This shouldn’t be happening, was their reaction.

However, Slovakia were the better team easily, even if not having the best players.

Which immediately made me think of Eddie Howe and Newcastle United.

I would say a lot more quality in the NUFC side than Slovakia’s team BUT the principle the same.

Eddie Howe plays a high press of exciting attacking football and demands his players sprint and have the required fitness to do what is asked. There are no passengers allowed, everybody has to buy into it, not individuals jogging around.

When 11 individuals come together as a team, with a manager they believe in, asking them to play progressive tactics that can make them a far better and dangerous collecive. Well, it ticks all my boxes.

Which takes me to the France v Austria match on Monday night.

France are one of the favourites to win this tournament and have a lot of top quality players.

Once again, maybe even more so than Slovakia and Belgium, take all 22 players and pick a best 11, would any of them be from Austria?

However, by the end of the match, I would dare anyone to pick out France as having been the better team on the night.

Austria were class and even more so than Slovakia, played such an exciting high press with their players all totally buying into it. France really struggling to cope with it and repeatedly failing to beat the high press. Only odd moments of individual brilliance seeing them get any success.

That odd bit of individual success AND massive luck seeing a cruel 38th minute Austria own goal win it for France.

That though doesn’t change the fact that actually it was Austria who were by far the better and more dangerous team over the course of this game.

Austria had more of the possession (52% v 48%), I bet not a single ‘expert’ would have predicted that. Whilst they had the same number of efforts on target (3 v 3), Austria wasting some great chances as well, often not missing by much.

I have found so much of this tournament great to watch and as well as many of the fancied teams reinforcing what I/we already thought about them, these other suprise packages adding to it massively – Austria, Slovakia and others.

Ralf Rangnick looks to have done a great job with Austria, a collection of lesser players coming together brilliantly as a better team with progressive exciting tactic.

Man U treated him terribly and I can’t help but be relieved that they did so, ditching him in order to bring in Erik ten Hag.

In fact, Austria a great comparison with Manchester United, Man U continuing to spend ridiculous amounts of money under Erik ten Hag, fortunes on the likes of Antony, Hojlund, Onana and so on. With then ten Hag’s very negative tactics and lack of a high press, with players who couldn’t be bothered to do it anyway if asked to do so.

I think that clearly there is a great progressive element flowing through football at the moment, both at club and national side level, with certain teams buying into exciting brave attacking high press football, with the players totally buying into it.