The ÖFB national team has for the first time since 1982 advanced past the group stage at the FIFA World Cup.
As a reward, the round of 16 clash with Spain awaits on Thursday (from 9 PM in the LIVE ticker).
Against the "Furia Roja", however, the ÖFB team is merely in the underdog role given its performances so far. Austria's national team has not yet managed to show its true potential at this World Cup – a sentiment shared by Andreas Herzog.
The 103-cap international expresses concern about the team's fitness level in the podcast "HERZERL mit JANKO".
Herzog: "That is criticism, no question"
"I believe that we don't have a single player who can say, 'I'm at 90 or 100 percent.' And that's a shame."
A telling sign of this was the triple substitution at halftime in the last group match against Algeria. Even a player like Xaver Schlager, who usually distinguishes himself through his running performance, was exhausted after one half.
"In my opinion, that is already a sign that we don't have the fittest team," criticizes Herzog. "That is also criticism, no question. The team and the head coach have to listen to that."
Fearsome? "We are no longer"
Austria's performances at the World Cup are not at all comparable to those at the 2024 European Championship.
"At the last EURO, we were 'flying'. The closing down and pressing as a whole team was fearsome. We are no longer like that, that has to be addressed openly," says Herzog.
