Neustadter in Russia squad for Euro 2016
Koller charts Austria’s climb
MOSCOW, May 22, (AFP): Twicecapped Germany international Roman Neustadter and Brazil-born goalkeeper Guilherme were included in Russia’s 23-man squad for the European Championship announced on Saturday.
Schalke defender Neustadter, who was born in the Soviet Union in what is now Ukraine, is eligible for Russia having only appeared in a pair of friendlies for Germany.
However, the 28-year-old is still awaiting a Russian passport, although the country’s sports minister Vitaly Mutko told R-Sport news agency that “this question is in the process of being resolved”.
Russia coach Leonid Slutsky, fresh from guiding CSKA Moscow to the Russian Premier League title on Saturday, also retained Lokomotiv Moscow keeper Guilherme after the 30-year-old made his debut in March having received Russian citizenship last year.
Slutsky selected eight players from CSKA and five from deposed champions Zenit St Petersburg as well as the leading domestic goalscorer Fedor Smolov (FC Krasnodar), but Rostov were overlooked entirely despite the team’s surprise second-place finish.
Defenders Yuri Zhirkov and Oleg Kuzmin will both miss the tournament in France, which starts on June 10, due to injury.
Russia will play pre-tournament friendlies against Czech Republic on June 1 before facing Serbia four days later.
Russia, the host nation for the 2018 World Cup, have been drawn alongside England, Wales and Slovakia in Group B at Euro 2016. Squad: Goalkeepers: Igor Akinfeev (CSKA Moscow), Guilherme (Lokomotiv Moscow), Yuri Lodygin (Zenit St Petersburg)
Defenders: Alexei Berezutski (CSKA Moscow), Vasily Berezutski (CSKA Moscow), Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Dmitri Kombarov (Spartak Moscow), Roman Neustadter (Schalke 04/GER), Igor Smolnikov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shishkin (Lokomotiv Moscow), Georgy Shchennikov (CSKA Moscow)
Midfielders: Alexander Golovin (CSKA Moscow), Denis Glushakov (Spartak Moscow), Igor Denisov (Dinamo Moscow), Alan Dzagoev
Neustadter
(CSKA Moscow), Oleg Ivanov (Terek Grozny), Pavel Mamaev (Krasnodar), Alexander Samedov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Oleg Shatov (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Shirokov (CSKA Moscow)
Forwards: Artem Dzyuba (Zenit St Petersburg), Alexander Kokorin (Zenit St Petersburg), Fedor Smolov (FC Krasnodar).
Appointed to little fanfare and a great deal of scepticism, Marcel Koller has transformed a struggling Austrian team remarkably during his four-plus years in charge.
A former midfielder who spent his entire playing career with Swiss side Grasshoppers and turned out 55 times for Switzerland, Koller was installed as Austria coach in October 2011, replacing Dietmar Constantini after a failed bid to qualify for Euro 2012.
Languishing in 70th place when Koller took charge, Austria broke into the top 10 of the FIFA world rankings for the first time last November after strolling through a tricky qualifying group with Russia, Sweden and Montenegro.
“Looking back, I’m not really angry at anybody who said those things,” said Koller, whose hiring left fans underwhelmed and newspapers questioning whether he was the right man to reverse Austria’s downward slide.
“I was convinced that people didn’t really know me and weren’t really well informed about me so that’s why I didn’t change my path. I know what I’m capable of.”
After a 19-year playing career, which saw him claim seven Swiss league titles and five Swiss Cups as well as feature at Euro 96, Koller took his first coaching job with FC Wil in 1997 before moving onto St Gallen and leading them to a first championship in almost a century.
Koller then returned to Grasshoppers and guided them to the 2002/03 league title. But his first stop abroad ended in disappointment as Cologne were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2004.
Working with few resources, the Swiss blooded young talent including future Germany striker Lukas Podolski but was unable to save Cologne from the drop and was sent on his way after less than a full season at the helm.
He was back in work the following year, tasked with immediately returning Bochum to the top flight. Koller achieved that objective comfortably, overseeing three campaigns in the Bundesliga before a poor start to the 2009-10 season, Bochum’s last at the top level, resulted in his dismissal.