"This can't be it": Austria grapples with season start

The 2-2 draw between GAK and Wiener Austria does not bring unreserved satisfaction to either team.

While the Graz team mourns the missed home win after leading twice, Austria captain Manfred Fischer particularly grapples with his team's own performances.

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After seven match days, the Violets have eight points. The captain's initial interim assessment is accordingly critical.

Fischer: "Not good enough"

After the match, Fischer finds it difficult to classify the draw. Austria had traveled to Graz with the clear goal of taking three points.

"We wanted to come here and go home with three points. We didn't succeed," the captain noted the result to "Sky" with disappointment.

Fischer continues to see major problems, especially in offense and defense: "It's simply the case that we struggle a lot defensively and offensively. That's still the case, and nothing has changed in the meantime."

Austria now wants to make intensive use of the three-week international break. "That means: Train, train, train until we can't anymore. We have to improve; as things stand, it's not good enough," Fischer states clearly.

"..., then we will still have problems back there"

The season start as a whole also leaves the 31-year-old unsatisfied. "The start was very, very turbulent – it was crazy!" says Fischer.

The hope that things will significantly improve after the break is accordingly great. "I hope that it definitely won't continue like this, because otherwise we will still have problems back there."

The lack of control in the final third also concerns the Austria captain. "We have little control when we get into the opponent's half," Fischer analyzes. Three successful passes in a row in the final third, like before his equalizer, were a rarity.

"It definitely can't be that we only manage it three times. That's simply too little."

Helm sees a "mental performance"

Austria coach Stephan Helm can also find positives in the late equalizer despite the offensive problems. For him, it was primarily a question of mentality that his team still earned a point after trailing twice.

"I also think it was a mental performance from us, when you're a goal down twice. We gave it our all," says Helm.

The 43-year-old therefore speaks of a fair result. At the same time, he also sees room for improvement in the final third. Especially with the last touch, his team too often made the wrong decision.

"When you get into promising situations, that last touch has to be right. We didn't manage that," Helm analyzes.

After seven match days, Austria finds itself in a tight league position, hovering around the crucial cut-off line. "We will work very hard in the coming weeks to move step by step in the right direction," the coach announces.