RONALDO LOOKS FOR REDEMPTION
CRISTIANO Ronaldo is not the only number 7 hoping to redeem himself when his Portugal side meet Austria in their Euro 2016 group F match tonight. Ronaldo’s less heralded opposite number for Austria, Marko Arnautovic, also came into the tournament with high hopes only to start with a below-par display made worse by a sulky attitude.
Ronaldo missed a late chance, repeatedly wasted free kicks, protested to the referee and made unsporting comments about the opposition after Portugal drew 1-1 against rank outsiders Iceland.
Arnautovic fared little better in Austria’s 2-0 defeat by Hungary, losing heart as he was marked out of the game.
He went to ground far too easily, moaned at the match officials and his body language bore the hallmarks of a man who felt the world was against him.
Arnautovic’s temperament has often threatened to override his talent, with his career marked by bizarre episodes.
He famously borrowed a Bentley belonging to teammate Samuel Eto’o at Inter Milan, only to have it stolen while he was eating at a restaurant.
During a stint at Werder Bremen, he was pulled over for speeding in the early hours of the morning on the day of the game, and he once injured his knee playing with his dog.
But Austria coach Marcel Koller and his club coach Mark Hughes at Stoke City have between them managed to tame a man who was compared with a child by Jose Mourinho at Inter.
Asked at a press conference earlier in the tournament how he had managed to curb Arnautovic’s excesses, Koller said it was not an issue he could adequately explain “in a few minutes”.
But he did give a feel for the efforts that have gone into keeping Arnautovic on the straight and narrow.
“It’s always been important to look at his qualities as a footballer, he’s always had ability but he wasn’t necessarily able to harness that ability on the pitch.
“It is important that he has confidence even if he makes a mistake. Right from the outset, we knew we needed to support him, to try and talk to him, to try and help him to improve.
“He has adapted well. He has a wife and two kids, he has calmed down and we are delighted he is finally able to harness his ability as a footballer on the field, and he can really help us.”
Koller would doubtless have had his arm around Arnautovic’s shoulder again in the run-up to tonight’s match.
BORDEAUX: Having, in the words of their coach Marc Wilmots, “lost a battle but not the war”, Belgium present arms for today’s encounter with Ireland on what they consider to be home territory.
The Red Devils have set up camp for the Euro 2016 campaign just outside the city, using the training headquarters of Girondins Bordeaux, the club for whom Wilmots once played.
He has come under unfriendly fire there following the 2-0 defeat by Italy in the opening group match but insisted this week there would be no change of an attacking philosophy based around the talents of players such as Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.
Unfortunately, the latter pair were out of sorts against the Italians, while defensive fallibility was evident in the absence from the tournament of injured Vincent Kompany and Nic Lombaerts.
De Bruyne and Hazard were given extra time off this week after suffering minor knocks but are expected to be fit. Some Belgian critics would prefer to see their roles reversed, however, with Hazard playing as the number 10 behind the main striker and De Bruyne out wide.
For however much or little it counts, Belgium have history on their side in not having lost to the Irish for 50 years, which includes beating them by a single goal in the play-offs to win a place at the 1998 World Cup in France.
That gave them a game against Mexico in Bordeaux in which they wilted to a draw in a heat that has hardly been a problem at this tournament.
If the Belgians are regarding this as a home fixture, they will be shaken by the strength in numbers of the Irish.
Green “army” or not, Ireland’s traditionally friendly followers are more likely to take on the opposition in a singsong than a fight. They have been named the best supporters by one French social media site and tear gas should not be required.
After their team lost every game at Euro 2012 and failed to qualify for the last World Cup, the mood ahead of a difficult Group E programme was guarded, but i Paris on Monday only an own goal prevented victory in a 1-1 draw with Sweden. Manager Martin O’Neill said he was delighted with the performance. – Reuters