All-rounder Grünwald puts himself at the service of his team

Grünwald played in the offensive, defensive, central, left and right midfield. In his 236^th competitive match (59 goals / 51 assists) for Austria Wien he added another position as the center of the back three against WAC (1-1). To his new role he says that he could now be described as an all-rounder.

For many, even for the Carinthian, the new position came as a surprise. "It just happened last week, because Schoissengeyr wasn’t feeling well," says Grünwald, who had taken in the position during training and had made such a good impression that coach Robert Ibertsberger decided it was a good choice for the game.

"If I can help in the back, I like to do it"

"I put myself at the service of the team. Of course, if I can help in the back then I'll do it," emphasizes "Grüni" after his defender debut. He admitted that it was unexpected for him, especially since he has scored most of Austria Wien’s Bundesliga goals this season (5).

He was glad that he was able to stand on the pitch again. "I'm fit, I feel really good about being allowed to play again," said the blond. He also suspects that it may be possible to come back to this position in the future. "We were outnumbered in Wolfsberg for quite some time, but we defended really well," said the defensive chief, but clarifies:

"Of course, we all expected more". Until the penalty for WAC and thus the 1-1, Austria Wien, which also once hit the pole, was the better team and repeatedly played into the penalty area. "This point might not be unimportant in the end," Grünwald looks into the future.

About our chances against the second in the standings

The focus is on the home game against LASK on Sunday. "Of course, LASK outweighs WAC. But right now, they are in a small phase of weakness, which we want to exploit," says Grünwald about the fact that the opponent played three competitive games (including cup semi-finals) without a victory.

What has to happen for a victory against LASK after four defeats in a row (3-11 goals)? "We've had some really good phases recently. It will be important that we show these good phases over 90 minutes, as well as shut down stupidities and errors," the captain answers.

This is how it is possible to beat LASK in the Generali Arena, "We think that - if everything fits together – we can be successful," believes the left-footer who wants to compensate for the first two games against LASK this season.

50^th league home game against LASK with a violet anniversary goal?

"I'm confident that we can beat the Upper Austrians with our fans in the back," continues Grünwald. It would be a good fit for the 50^th Bundesliga home game against LASK, because the ‘Violets’ are only one goal away from their 100^th home goal against this opponent.

In the 143^rd championship duel of the two clubs, Austria Wien could also score their 300^th goal. "Our defensive is stabilized. Now we must strive to score more goals in the front, because that’s who you make points," appealed Grünwald.

By the way, as a ‘Violet’, he has never won or scored against the Upper Austrians in the Bundesliga. With SC Wiener Neustadt Alex succeeded twice during the 2010/11 season (5-0/home and 3-2/away) with one goal each (penalty and a header). During the 5-0 Florian Metz was playing for LASK.

Three games within seven days

Florian Metz played successfully for Austria Wien for many years, now he works as a physiotherapist for his former team and chatted with Grünwald during a massage about the game in July 2010 (5-0). The 33-year-old former defender also mentally strengthened his clubmate for the upcoming ‘English week’.

Grünwald celebrates its 30^th birthday on May 1^st. Before his jubilee he has a wish for the three games within seven days (LASK, SKN St. Pölten/April 24^th/7pm/home and April 28^th/2:30pm/away), "We must strive for the highest. Ideal would be nine points, the minimum is seven. Then we would be in a good position for the season finale."

Lieber Austria-Fan,
der Inhalt des heutigen Austria Wien-Newsletters

» 1+1 gratis: Trikot-Aktion am Sonntag gegen LASK
» Allrounder Grünwald stellt sich in den Dienst der Mannschaft
» "1+1 gratis"-Aktion im Heimspiel gegen St. Pölten
» Viola TV: Physio Christoph Lichtenecker im Porträt
» Die nächsten Spiele & Termine der Veilchen

Bundesliga:
26. Runde, 21.04.2019, 17:00 Uhr, FK Austria Wien - LASK (Alle Infos >>)
27. Runde, 24.04.2019, 19:00 Uhr, FK Austria Wien - St. Pölten (Alle Infos >>)
28. Runde, 28.04.2019, 14:30 Uhr, St. Pölten - FK Austria Wien (Alle Infos >>)

2. Liga
23. Runde, 19.04.2019, 20:30 Uhr, Young Violets Austria Wien - SV Guntamatic Ried
24. Runde, 26.04.2019, 19:10 Uhr, SKU Ertl Glas Amstetten - Young Violets Austria Wien
25. Runde, 03.05.2019, 19:10 Uhr, WSG Wattens - Young Violets Austria Wien