As I don't remember anything else than Mainz crushing Kaiserslautern last weekend, I'll talk about the Bundesliga players in Austria - Finland friendly. Once again the Finnish national team showed that it doesn't really matter how you play if you make a few mistakes. And if you don't even play good, mistakes just make your game kind of ridiculous.
In the friendly both teams were playing boring football. Austria was trying to hold on to the ball and actually play without really succeeding in it. At least the first half was even, both teams having only a few opportunities. Austria managed to score with help from the Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky. In the first half Pukki was the only Finnish player who was able to create anything, but he was too alone and tried to create chances from nothing. I think his problem in the national team is that he tries too hard. He has now played 9 caps without scoring and it seems to be pressuring up for him.
I'd say Pukki was the only one from the Finnish starting 11 that deserves even a (4) in kicker marks. Ring was awful throughout the whole game. He wasnt able to pass the ball to his teammates and was a step behind in every challenge. Id rate him with a 5,5 or 6. I'm not surprised he hasn't gotten a chance in the Mönchengladbach team with that kind of performance. Let's hope this was only one game and that he will get his chance in the Galdbach squad soon. But then he really has to improve and show what he really can do on the pitch. The third player in the Finnish team who plays in Germany, in the second Bundesliga, is Timo Furuholm. He was the only Finnish goalscorer in the game,and it was a beautiful goal. He actually came in on the 86th minute and scored immediately. He also had a scoring chance before the actual goal, so he's looking more and more promising, even for the starting eleven. I don't know much about his performances in Fortuna Düsseldorf, but at least he has played in three games. According to the stats he has been playing decently, and hopefully he will continue in doing so.
Let's talk about the Austrians then. I'd say there were two players who almost dominated in the game against Finland. David Alaba and Julian Baumgartlinger were clearly the two best on the field. Alaba was super in bringing the ball forward and his technique is very good for a defender or defensive midfielder. I think Bayern are going to get a world class player of him, when he gets just a little older and gains experience. Baumgartlinger is a totally different kind of player. He doesn't give up, and I must say he has gotten tougher during the season. I saw him play in Mainz last summer, and I thought he looked promising, but in the game against Finland he was the master of the midfield. I doubt he lost a single challenge during the whole game. He was a big reason for Austria's victory.
Other Austrians didn't impress me at all. Harnik and Ivanschitz both scored one and played ok. They didn't show anything special and at least Harnik's efforts were very weak throughout the game. One of the worst players of the game, if not the worst, was Marco Arnautovic. He has said that he wasn't pleased with his performance, but that he knows that he can do better. I've seen him do better,but that is some time ago. He hasn't been playing good in the Bremen squad for a while now. It has been like in the game against Finland: couldn't pass the ball to the teammates, couldn't win any challenges, technique seemed poor and one free kick that went almost out of the stadium. It certainly is not his season. Maybe the next one. Or maybe he is just too arrogant.
