Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager battles for the ball
Austria midfielder Xaver Schlager battles for the ball
Jasmin Walter/Getty Images
Nottingham Forest midfielder Xaver Schlager has expressed his displeasure with the condition of the pitch in Kosovo and the demands of the international schedule, suggesting that the sensible option would be to ‘stay at home’.
Joining from RB Leipzig, the 29-year-old moved to Nottingham Forest in July, putting pen to paper on a two-year contract with the club.
Under Oliver Glasner, he has featured in every league game so far, starting four of them, while also completing the full 90 minutes in the opening round of the EFL Cup.
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Schlager’s form earned him a call-up from Austria for their Nations League fixtures, with the central midfielder featuring in all four games, most recently against Kosovo.
At the Fadil Vokrri Stadium on Sunday, Austria were held to a scrappy 1-1 draw, but the result still moved them to the top of their Nations League table, with two wins and a draw from their other matches.
Schlager noted that it was already his fourth game in two weeks, making the instruction to conserve energy and move the ball around difficult to reconcile with the condition of the pitch.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder questioned how they were expected to follow those instructions on such a surface, suggesting that staying at home would have been more sensible.
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Schlager said in an interview with ORF (via Sky Sport Austria): “It’s the fourth game in two weeks, which is already crazy.
“Then they tell you to conserve energy and let the ball move around a lot.
“But then you end up with a field you can’t play on.
“What am I supposed to say?
“I might as well stay home and do something more sensible.”
With his international duty now complete, Schlager can turn his attention back to the Garibaldis, who have endured a less-than-ideal start and currently sit 13th in the Premier League table with five points from five matches.
Oliver Glasner will be eager to get back to work, with a return to his old stomping ground against Crystal Palace awaiting Forest on Sunday.
The next international break arrives in November, when Austria will face Ireland and Israel, with the 29-year-old expected to remain a key figure for his country.