Sarkaria in the center: Dribbler, distributor, scorer

Manprit Sarkaria explains before the home game against Admira (Sunday, 14:30) how he wants to interpret his new role in the central midfield. The 24-year-old tells how Peter Stöger brought the joy of playing back into the daily training routine, while at the same time maintaining the necessary seriousness & cultivating the correct interaction with his players. The fans on the ranks give the Viennese strength & motivation.

Most of the stadium visitors will probably remember the individual action of Manprit Sarkaria at the score of 2:0, when he almost completed a remarkable dribbling with a dream goal from a distance: "I want to finish a lot. Every time I can't find a better positioned player, I try to finish myself".

Asked about the support of the Austria fans in the stadium, who were allowed to participate for the first time in half a year, Manprit Sarkaria gets really excited about the match on Sunday: "It is always nice to play in front of fans who motivate you and give you strength.

A lot of ball possession & always in the mood for the next goal

Sarkaria already knows his new position in the central midfield from his youth: “I want to distribute the balls from the center". Coach Peter Stöger explained to the 24-year-old in private beforehand: "He told me that he knows where my qualities are and thinks that central midfield can be a good option for me in addition to the winger position. Peter Stöger is a very correct coach who talks a lot to his players, explaining good and bad things," said Sarkaria.

In retrospect, the 24-year-old Viennese is satisfied with the 2:1 victory over Ried, even though Austria could have decided the game earlier and more clearly at 2-0: "We always want to go for the next goal, so that our opponents don't get any peace in their game. I think we showed a good match against Ried, because we had a lot of ball possession and let the ball run well at times.”

"Fun at the right time, serious at the right time"

During the week, the ball runs on the training grounds in Vienna-Favoriten: "Peter Stöger and his team attach great importance to variety and are constantly doing new exercises with us. Where you should have fun - like when you warm up - we have fun doing it. Where it has to get serious, it is serious. I believe that every football player starts with this sport at some point because he enjoys it.”

In the pre-season Manprit Sarkaria established himself in the first team (24 Bundesliga appearances/4 goals/4 assists), 2020/21 Sarkaria wants to play as often as possible and contribute many scorer points. "In the end, the most important thing is a nice place in the table for Austria Wien, with which everyone can be satisfied". And on Sunday against Admira? "They lost twice, conceded many goals, will play defensively and on counterattack. We have to wait for our chances and then make use of them," emphasized Sarkaria.