Marko Arnautovic: Austria's Volatile Striker Is All Grown Up at Last
Jun 1, 2016
Floridsdorfer AC won only four games this season in the Erste Liga, Austria's second division, and were rooted to the bottom of the table from the first matchday on. The club has been relegated back to the regional league from which it emerged in 2014. With the smallest budget in the league, none of this was a surprise.
Floridsdorfer could have done with some help from their most famous son: Marko Arnautovic.
The Stoke City winger's path from a kid at Floridsdorfer to a talisman for Austria, a potential dark horse for Euro 2016 in France, has not been a simple one.
Floridsdorf is a district in the north of Vienna described by locals as "a village in a city." Most of Vienna's population lives south of the Danube, so those in the north—known as Transdanubians—are seen as a little bit different.
Arnautovic's father, Tomislav, worked in the stadium canteen at Floridsdorf. Marko spent hour after hour playing with his elder brother, Danijel, on the caged pitch on Hopfengasse, just behind the nearby sports club. Those hours did not go to waste.
Arnautovic is a true Floridsdorfer. He is different. His temperament as a kid and problems with authority almost cost him his career, which began at FAC in 1995 when he was six. He spent three years there, then three at Austria Vienna before spending a year each at First Vienna FC, back at Austria Vienna and then Rapid Vienna.
Reliant on his talent, entitled and unwilling to work, he proved impossible for any of them to handle. According to Austrian magazine Ballesterer, he was labelled "untrainable."
He was 15 when he returned to FAC and was in the last-chance saloon.
"Every coach had said that you cannot work with him," Othmar Larisch, a youth coach at FAC at the time, told Ballesterer. "But no one understood how to treat Marko. He came back to us because he knew me and knew that I appreciated him."
At 16, Arnautovic was already playing for the under-23 side and helping it win its league's title.
"He is probably the most talented player we've ever had," Larisch said.
"Opinions in Austria used to be divided about Marko because he had very high expectations to live up to," Floridsdorfer general manager Mathias Slezak told Bleacher Report. "But his performances in England for Stoke City and playing for the Austrian national team have increased the respect there is for him. He is an idol for the young players here even though they are too young to have seen him playing for FAC."
Dutch club FC Twente wanted to take Arnautovic on trial at the end of the 2005-06 season. After discussing the move with Tomislav, Larisch and his assistant, Walter Kuensel, agreed that Arnautovic should go to the Netherlands. The Enschede club gave him a contract after just two days of a two-week trial.
"It was clear to me very quickly that this was a different type of football, but I really wanted it," Arnautovic told Ballesterer.
Arnautovic with Austria team-mate Fuchs in the background
The youth team romped to the Dutch title as Arnautovic scored 27 goals in 32 games. Twente's first-team coach, Fred Rutten, took notice. The week before the player turned 18, he threw the teenager on for the last 14 minutes of a 2-0 loss at PSV Eindhoven.
"He always looked confident, but at that moment, he was very nervous, and you had to remember he was just a kid," Rutten told Bleacher Report.
"Marko was not a worker when he was young," Rutten continued. "That was no problem for me because to develop young players, you have to work with them. He showed a lot of skills on the training pitch, but at the beginning, it was not easy for him because talent alone is not enough. You also have to learn how to work.
"I had to teach him that if you want to be a big player, you can use talent, but also you have to put in some dirty work. At that moment, he had problems with that."
That summer, in 2007, Austria were playing in two tournaments: the UEFA European Under-19 Championship on home soil and the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. Austrian youth coach Hermann Stadler played Arnautovic as a second striker cutting in from the left of a 4-2-3-1, but he had a quiet first game against eventual winners Spain.
The next match was a bad-tempered 1-1 draw with Greece, and Arnautovic was sent off after a second yellow card. In the stands was senior coach Josef Hickersberger, who was not impressed. It set the player back years. He was not picked for the under-20 squad, which finished fourth in a breakout tournament for Rubin Okotie and Zlatko Junuzovic.
The following season, Rutten used the teenager sparingly, bringing him on for about the last 10 minutes of games 13 times but only giving him one start.
Rutten said Twente had a training camp in Arnhem three days before a play-off match. The coach, known for being a disciplinarian, set up two four-on-four matches on a small pitch. But he told Arnautovic that he had to watch the games and could not play in them.
"On that trip, he had only done what he wanted to do. There was no concern for the team or for anything else," Rutten said. "I knew that he liked that particular game because there were always lots of scoring chances, but I did not let him play. He was very proud, and that made him angry. He tried to take the ball, and I said, 'No! If you want to be a big player, you need to work.' That moment was important for him. He will remember it, too."
Rutten's message finally got through, and when Arnautovic was 19, he scored three times in his first three Eredivisie appearances and became a regular. He made his debut for the Austria senior team—in a 1-1 draw in the Faroe Islands—one week before his first Twente goal. But in typical style, his path to the national team was just beginning to get complicated.
Arnautovic in Euro 2016 qualifying action against Montenegro
Following the draw with the Faroes, Austria suffered a 3-1 home defeat to Serbia. Manager Karel Bruckner lost his job four-and-a-half months later. His successor, Dietmar Constantini, gave Arnautovic one game, a 2-1 win over Romania, but he did not play again for Austria for 18 months, a period that included a foot injury and an ill-fated spell at Inter Milan.
But after just one season as a Twente regular, offers were coming in from big clubs abroad. In summer 2009, Twente chairman Joop Munsterman accepted a bid from Chelsea. Arnautovic went to England but failed a medical, which showed he had a fractured foot. Instead, he moved to Inter on a one-year loan with an option to purchase.
The injury slowed his adaptation into the squad, and his behaviour was no help. In a typical incident, he told a Vienna policeman: "Shut up. I earn so much I can buy your life."
He made three appearances as a substitute, none in Europe, in Inter's historic treble-winning season. The competition was tough: Diego Milito, Samuel Eto'o, Goran Pandev and Mario Balotelli were in front of him.
Werder Bremen paid €6.5 million for him in summer 2010, and though his time in Germany was peppered with controversy—the last of several incidents that earned the wrath of management was when he called the city "a dump" on TV—it was the period in which he made his mark for the national team.
STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND - MARCH 02: Xherdan Shaqiri celebrates with Marko Arnautovic after scoring the opening goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke City and Newcastle United at the Britannia Stadium on March 2, 2016 in Stoke on Tre
With Constantini in charge, Arnautovic scored his first two international goals in October 2010 against Azerbaijan. The same month, he scored for Bremen in a UEFA Champions League tie at Twente. In February 2011, he scored for Austria in a loss in the Netherlands.
He has kept his place in the national side ever since and developed a dangerous partnership with captain Christian Fuchs on the left flank of the 4-2-3-1 system under Marcel Koller.
"I know a lot of players with his talent that have not made it," said Rutten, his first club coach. "But you can see now what he is capable of doing. He can score, create and make things happen. But he also plays with responsibility. He can do big things this summer, and I think he's ready for a Champions League team as well."
Arnautovic said that fatherhood—his daughter, Emilia, will be four in July—and the move to England have calmed him down. He joined Stoke for a reported £2 million in summer 2013 and since then has only appeared in newspapers for the right reasons.
"I think if you've never met me, then you'd think I was hard work," he told SoccerBible magazine recently. "People used to say I was arrogant and unfriendly, but now I am friendly and happy to help out."
Said Rutten: "What has surprised me is that he has become so consistent. In the past, that was harder for him. When I watch him play now, I can see that he's grown up. It's nice for me to see a player I worked with become the player I hoped he might be. That makes me proud."
Germany vs Austria: Preview, TV Schedule and Live Stream Info
Aug 28, 2011
Germany is the No. 3 ranked team in the world and have had no problems breezing through the competition in Euro 2012 qualifying.
Germany has won all seven of their matches in the group stage and lead the group by 10 points, ahead of Belgium.
On the other hand, Austria sits in fourth place, four points behind Belgium, and needing a victory against Germany to have any chance of advancing to the European Championships.
Mario Gomez will miss the match against Austria due to a thigh injury he suffered after recording a hat-trick for Bayern Munich.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvEh0h_Q-nk
Gomez is a terrific scorer and his presence will certainly be missed.
If Germany can win in his absence they will clinch a spot in the 2012 European Championships.
Player to Watch for Germany: Mesut Ozil
With Gomez out of the lineup, look for Ozil to step up and provide a bit of offense from his midfield position.
Ozil is one of the best playmakers in the world and will be called upon to lead Germany to victory in such an important match.
The Real Madrid midfielder has six goals and 17 assists in 36 matches with Real Madrid during the La Liga last season.
His creativity will certainly be showcased in this match, so don't be surprised if he sets up plenty of opportunities for other players.
Player to Watch for Austria: Marko Arnautovic
Arnautovic was dropped from the squad earlier in the year after his form suffered with German club Werder Bremen. However, he has vowed to turn over a new leaf and registered goals in consecutive matches, making Austria coach Didi Constantini have a change of heart.
Arnautovic is a bright talent, but has sometimes gotten in trouble with his attitude. If he puts his full focus into this match, he certainly has the potential to thrive for Austria.
Key Matchup: Miroslav Klose vs. Austria Defense
With Gomez out of the lineup, Klose will be called upon to be the main target for the German attack. Klose has always found a way to put the ball in the back of the net, even when having a tough game.
He scores a lot of ugly goals, but he does his job well, and will be key against Austria. If Klose can find his form, it will be a tough going for the Austria defenders.
What They're Saying:
German coach Joachim Loew recently sat down with Yahoo Sports to discuss the upcoming match against Austria and the state of qualifying,
"Our focus is now exclusively on the Austria match. Obviously our starting position is very good but we are not through yet. So we want to make sure we are through with a win against Austria so as to start planning for the Euros."
On the other side of things, Austria coach Didi Constantini spoke with Reuters about the decision to leave Austrian league top-scorer Roland Linz off the roster.
"Roli is a very dangerous penalty area striker and scores goals as if they come off a conveyor belt.
But I don't think we're going to be spending much time in Germany's penalty area, we are going to play on the counter-attack.
Ivanschitz has not been picked during Constantini's two years at the helm despite his impressive performances for Mainz 05 in the German Bundesliga.
Every coach has his way of thinking and every coach has his players, who he puts his faith in even if there are others who also deserve to be there. I don't see any reason to change anything."
Final Score:
Germany 2 Austria 0
I Live In Agony: I Cheer For Austria
Jun 10, 2009
As a fan of the Austria national football team, I went into the 2010 World Cup qualifier last Saturday versus Serbia with the utmost confidence.
I was confident Austria might come close to scoring a goal at least once. I was confident Austria would field 11 players at the start of the match.
Actually, when Stefan Maierhofer outran two Serbian defenders but shot wide attempting to beat goalkeeper Valdimir Stojkovic at the beginning of the game, I had a feeling Austria might pull off the upset.
That feeling lasted about four minutes.
Austrian goalkeeper Michael Gspurning butchered a clearing pass and then fouled Danko Lazovic in the box for a penalty. Seconds later, Nenad Milijas sent the kick into the right corner of the net, and Serbia took the 1-0 lead.
Thank goodness there are only 45 minutes in a half because that meant I only had to watch 83 minutes of agonizing futility as Austria attempted to score the equalizer but never did.
Austria is stuck in fourth place in Group 7 with only seven points after six matches.
Austria is not officially eliminated yet, but they would most likely have to defeat Lithuania, France, the Faroe Islands, and Romania just to make it into second place.
Courtney Lee will make a layup for the Orlando Magic before that happens.
Unless hell freezes over, Austria will have failed to qualify for the last three World Cups. At least I can look back fondly at the glory years of Austrian football.
First, I have to find my sports almanac because Austria's greatest achievements occurred in the 30's and 50's, and I wasn't born yet. I cannot find any highlight DVDs from those years either.
In 1931, Austria was the first European team to defeat Scotland. Austria finished fourth in the 1934 FIFA World Cup after losing 1-0 to Italy in the semifinals and 3-2 to Germany in the third place game.
Austria qualified for the 1938 World Cup, but Nazi Germany caused a slight problem for the team when they annexed Austria and therefore eliminated the Austria Football Association.
Austria was again separated from Germany after World War II. Austria's greatest success occurred in 1954 when Austria finished third in the World Cup. Austria lost 6-1 to Germany in the semifinal but then defeated defending champion Uruguay 3-1.
Austria did quality for both the 1978 and 1982 World Cups but was eliminated each time in the second round group stage.
Luckily for me, my understanding of football and my devotion to Austria corresponded directly with the downfall of the national team.
I often think about all the great players that played for Austria in the last 25 years. There was Toni Polster, Andreas Herzog, what's his name, and that other guy.
The team that played in the 1998 World Cup will be remembered for scoring in stoppage time in all three games that they participated in.
Unfortunately, I have clear memories of most of the recent embarrassments.
In 1992, Austria lost 1-0 to the Faroe Islands during the qualifying phase of the European Championship. It was probably Austria's worst lost ever since the game was played in Landskrona, Sweden because the Faroe Islands had no grass fields to play on. In 1999, Austria lost 9-0 to Spain and 5-0 to Israel.
Lately, even a positive event turns into a negative.
Austria qualified automatically for the 2008 European Championship since they were co-hosting with Switzerland. However, 10,000 Austrians signed a petition demanding Austria withdraw from the tournament so they wouldn't be an embarrassment to football. Austria did lose 1-0 twice in the first round but tied Poland 1-1.
Despite the current struggles, the team does have talented scorers in Erwin Hofer, Marc Janko, and Stefan Maierhofer. Just wait until qualifying for 2014 starts up. Experts will be calling Austria's national team the "Wunderteam" again.
The Bible says "the meek shall inherit the earth." Hopefully they will accomplish that by the next World Cup.
World Cup 2010: June 6 the Day of Reckoning for the Socceroos
Apr 2, 2009
While Jozy Altidore of the USA pulled a hat trick on Trinidad & Tobago, England was all business against Ukraine, and Diego Maradona found himself in a race with Sven-Goran Eriksson in the manager sack stakes, the Australian national team found itself at a crossroads.
They have come a long way.
It seemed only yesterday that the shackles of being a member of the Oceania Football Confederation were removed on a warm November evening in 2005.
With John Aloisi pacing the Socceroos 4-2 in the penalty shootout against Uruguay (who are, ironically, sitting in fifth place in the CONMEBOL group stage as of this article date), the Green and Gold were reunited with the global football community.
April 1, 2009 saw Australia place one foot on Table Mountain, with the other floating about in the Indian Ocean for at least a couple of months.
Through the reliable head of Josh "Jesus" Kennedy of FC Karlsruhe and the penalty-taking skill of Galatasaray's Harry Kewell (perhaps provoking memories of that fateful night), the Socceroos defeated Uzbekistan 2-0.
And it could have been all they needed.
But Bahrain, whom Australia defeated 1-0 through a miracle shot by Mark Bresciano, said to the fans at the Stadium Australia: "Not yet."
Their 1-0 victory over Qatar meant that the magic number for Pim Verbeek's men was...one.
As in one point.
A draw or a win will do the job against Bruno Metsu's Maroon (led by Sebastian Soria) whose World Cup dreams seem all but crumbled after their defeat by Bahrain at the National Stadium in Riffa.
For the aficionados of the round ball down under, June 6 may be the day where Australia makes it back-to-back World Cup appearances for the first time in its history.
Not only that, Australia could make a strong case to host the 2018 World Cup by snatching that extra point.
It was decades ago when Australia appeared in their very first World Cup, in 1974.
Since their last game, a scoreless draw against Chile, 31 years, 4 months and 24 days passed before they reappeared.
In those days, they were in Oceania. A confederation where they were the big shark in a shallow pool of minnows.
Now they are a shark in an ocean of sharks, whales and minnows. The competition in the Asian Football Confederation may be tougher, but the process is many times fairer than before.
And as they channel their way across the waters of adversity, a large hourglass watches over the Green and Gold like a sentinel, the grains of sand dripping down.
The seconds, minutes, hours and days continue to tick before Australia qualifies for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Goals from Portugal, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, Austria, Croatia and more
Nov 24, 2008
Superliga, Nov. 23, 2008
Academica 0 - 2 Benfica: Amorim opened the scoring on 31 minutes and Oscar Cardozo extended the away side’s lead shortly after the interval.
AZ Alkmaar 2 - 0 Ajax: AZ moved ahead when Demy de Zeeuw converted from the spot. In the second half the snow began tumbling down, but it didn’t stop AZ extending their lead with a fancy flick from in-form Ari.
Feyenoord 3 - 1 Ado Den Haag: Feyenoord keeper Henk Timmer was guilty of a terrible fumble that gifted Den Haag’s Richard Knopper a simple tap in for the opener. But the hosts fought back to take the advantage at the break, Roy Makaay levelled before Leroy Fer gave Feyenoord the lead. (First half highlights here.)
FC Twente 6 - 0 Heerenveen: Blaise N’Kufo opened the scoring on 23 minutes and Kenneth Perez doubled the lead 10 minutes before half-time. N’Kufo and Perez (wonderful free-kick) scored again before the interval and Marko Arnautovic added a fifth goal two minutes after the break. On 72 minutes, N’Kufo completed his hat-trick before Heerenveen’s Mika Vayrynen was sent off for a second bookable offence in injury-time.
Willem II 3 - 0 Groningen: Under a complete blanket of snow, Willem opened their account through Mehmet Akgun and a double from Frank Demouge (first and second) completed the scoring before half-time.
Jupiler League, Nov. 22, 2008
Standard Liege 3 - 1 Mouscron: De Camargo scored twice for Standard, and the remaining goal came from Jovanovic. Oussalah scored Mouscron’s only goal.
Anderlecht 2 - 0 Westerlo: Anderlecht keep hold of third place in Belgium, the Brussels outfit beating Westerlo with goals from Boussoufa and Biglia.
Sturm Graz 2 - 2 Rapid Vienna: Graz seemed to be cruising when Muratovic and Holzl put thje hosts 2-up. But a late double by Hoffer gave Rapid a point.
NK Rijeka 2 - 1 Croatia Sesvete: A crazy game saw four players sent off as well as a grandstand finish from the hosts. After Cagalj was sent off after just 6 minutes Saban fired the visitors into a 48th minute lead. Sesvete then saw Landeka (66), Cizmek (67) and Rados (90) all take an early bath, joined by Sharbini (90) as Ceric scored two goals in injury time to turn the match on its head.
Marc Janko: Chasing after the Golden Boot and Hans Krankl
Nov 19, 2008
People who are interested in the European Golden Boot will have noticed a few odd names in the top of the rankings this season. Let's have a look at the rankings, shall we?
1. Marc Janko (AUT) - Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) - 25 goals*1,5 - 37,5 points
4. Samuel Eto'o (CAM) - FC Barcelona (ESP) - 13 goals*2 - 26 points
5. Nicolas Anelka (FRA) - Chelsea (ENG) - 12 goals*2 - 24 points
5. Daniel Nannskog (SWE) - Stabaek IF (NOR) - 16 goals*1,5 - 24 points
With most of the main European competitions only being halfway, it's not abnormal to see players from the Scandinavian and Russian competitions so high up the rankings. These leagues have summer competitions, which means there are no league games during the winter. The league-season in these countries is almost over and so is the hope of their top goal-scorers of winning the Golden Boot.
The man topping the table is probably the most remarkable name on the list. Austrian striker Marc Janko has managed to bag a staggering 25 goals in a mere 18 games.
His club, Red Bull Salzburg, has just been crowned as Austrian "Herbstmeister", scoring 49 goals in their 18 league matches and losing only two of these matches. Dutchman Co Adriaanse's side are playing free-flowing and fluid attacking football, with Marc Janko as its main exponent.
The tall forward has scored over half of the goals of his team this season and has already beaten the goal-scoring record for his club, which was previously held by Oliver Bierhoff.
The former German international managed to score 23 goals in a single season, but halfway into the current season, Janko has already beaten this record. If he can maintain his current form, he will shatter this record and set an almost unbeatable new record.
In fact, Janko even stand a fair chance to beat the record no-one ever thought could be beaten. Prolific forward Hans Krankl, by many considered to be the best Austrian footballer ever, set an incredible record in the 1977/'78 season by scoring a staggering 41 goals for Rapid Wien. After this incredible season, Krankl moved on to Barcelona.
Janko has got an incredible goal-scoring ratio of 1,56 goals a game, or one goal every 64 minutes he's on the pitch. If he can maintain this form, Janko can cement his name onto a list of Austria's most prolific forwards.
Hans Krankl (twice), Toni Polster, Robert Dienst, and Gerhard Rodax all managed to score 35 or more goals in a single season. Janko only needs 10 more goals to get there, and he potentially has half a season left to get there, so another 18 league games to score 10 goals.
Janko's progression under his new coach Adriaanse has been nothing short of miraculous, especially if you consider his previous goal-scoring record. Before this season, Janko bagged 20 goals in his entire career, which comprised 53 league games. It sure looks like Janko has now found his goal-scoring boots.
Now, the question remains, which club will benefit from the Austrian's new-found killer-instinct.
His incredible goal-scoring record has attracted foreign interest. Several German Bundesliga clubs have sent their scouts to Salzburg. Hertha BSC and Werder Bremen have expressed an interest in the tall (1 metre 90) forward.
Interest in Salzburg's goal-scorer isn't just restricted to German clubs, however, as rumours have started circulating that link English Premiership clubs Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur to Marc Janko.
It looks like the only one who can prevent Marc Janko from mounting a serious challenge on Hans Krankl's legendary goal-scoring record is Marc Janko himself—by moving to a foreign club his attempt would be halted at 25 goals.
With the Austrian winter-break lasting almost two months, a move to foreign club in January seems like a very realistic option, according to many pundits. Janko refuses to look that far ahead and wants to focus on the four remaining games before this break.
Four more games that can bring him closer to Krankl's record and after that, who knows what the future has in store for this Austrian fox-in-the-box?
Top 13 Goals of the Week
Oct 20, 2008
Another week has passed, and in a week in which players were turning out for both club and country there were some fabulous goals to boot.
Outside the goals of the week themselves, it was a historic week in the MLS as the New York Red Bull’s keeper, Danny Cepero, became the first number 1 in the history of the league to get himself on the scoresheet.
Hats off too to the Austrian T-Mobile Bundesliga for showcasing what will undoubtedly be one of the most bizarre games of the season, in which Strum Graz took a 5-goal lead into the break away at Mattersburg, only to win the game 6-5 after an incredible second 45. (The match highlights can be seen here.)
But back to the agenda. And as always on a Monday afternoon, all we ask is that you sit back and enjoy!
1. Aaron Ramsey (v England U21, Oct. 14, 2008) (0.35 minutes in)
Goal highlights from Turkey, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Austria & Israel
Sep 29, 2008
Galatasaray 4 - Konyaspor 1 (Super Lig, September 28, 2008) Kewell scored in the 66th minute, five minutes after Milan Baros completed a brace and 15 minutes after team-mate Cassio Lincoln had handed Galatasaray a 2-1 lead. Erhan Albayrak scored an equaliser for Konyaspor in the 11th minute after Baros had put the home side 1-0 up.
Bnei Sachnin 2 - Maccabi Tel Aviv 3 (Ligat ha’Al, September 27, 2008) A two-minute blitz in the first half from Kamanan and Buzaglo gave Maccabi a seemingly comfortable margin, but Sakhnin rallied in the second period when Poskus pulled one back in the 56th minute and Okocha leveled in the 64th minute. But Maccabi proved too strong for the home team, with Yavruyan scoring what turned out to be the winning goal with 15 minutes left on the clock.
Why Is Raymond Domenech Still In Charge Of France?
Sep 8, 2008
While surfing around on Wikipedia tonight, I stumbled across the following tidbit on Raymond Domenech's entry.
"Although it was expected that he would lose his position, in July 2008 it was announced Domenech had retained his job.
He continues to be a knobhead and lives in a magic castle in the sky."
I doubt that the last sentence will be allowed to stay on the page for too long, but it sums up all of the frustration that fans of the French squad have been feeling for the past few years.
I bring up Domenech because Les Bleus were thumped by Austria 3-1 on the weekend. Despite reaching the finals of the 2006 World Cup, Domenech's record is not very impressive. His squad selection policy and tactics have long been suspect, and now things are finally starting to catch up to him.
Domenech is a notorious student of astrology. He doesn't like selecting Scorpios in his squad and thus had a falling out with Robert Pires in 2004, which led to Pires' international retirement. This hardly seems like a reasonable way to let go of a player who had won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 with the French team.
Washed-up goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was also selected to start instead of Lyon keeper Gregory Coupet, who had at that point collected five straight Ligue 1 titles. Coupet actually left the team for a short while because of the snub, but came back to be France's number two goalkeeper.
Domenech also created a great deal of controversy when he called Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele up for Euro 2008 qualifiers. Jose Mourinho said that Makelele was being treated like a "slave", which was perhaps not the best choice of words.
This wouldn't have been a controversy except for the fact that Makelele had tried to retire from international football after the 2006 World Cup, and Domenech still insisted on selecting him.
Despite the inclusion of an experienced holding midfielder in Makelele, France managed to lose to Scotland twice and barely make their way into Euro 2008. Once in the tournament, France proceeded to embarrass themselves by only managing a single point in a goalless draw with Romania.
This performance was their worst performance in the group stage of a major tournament since...World Cup 2006! After draws to Switzerland and South Korea, France needed to beat Emmanuel Adebayor and Togo in order to advance. They did manage to beat Togo and advance, but given their status among the world's footballing elite, qualification should not have been such a chore.
It's also worth mentioning that France might not have even qualified for World Cup 2006 had it not been for Makelele, Lilian Thuram and Zinedine Zidane coming out of international retirement to aid the French in qualifying.
Had they not managed to qualify, Domenech surely would have been out of a job then, and the French might be in better shape today.
Which brings me back to the match against Austria on Saturday. It was the first time Austria had beaten France since 1970. The Austrians were handily outshot, but won the possession battle, and quality possession football is something that the French are known for.
When a country gets beat at its own game, and when a manager alienates some of the best players available to him, perhaps its time to move on. Raymond Domenech shouldn't be in charge when World Cup 2010 rolls around if the French hope to win anything.
Don't worry Raymond, I hear there's a job opening at West Ham.
