Through the Ages
Marko Arnautović is another one of those players, like Lukaku, who seems to have been around high-level football for an eternity. He first came to the attention of British football fans when he moved to Stoke. A Premier League outfit, back then in 2013.
Fast-forward 11 years and he is at a Euros tournament, after winning Seria A with Inter Milan. He came into Euro 2024, having already securing his status as the most-capped player for Austria.
Often the tongue-in-cheek question is posed of luxury players that they can do it in continental Europe, but can they do it on a windy night in Stoke!
Arnautović answered that question early-on in his career. Freeing him from the shackles of uncertainty as to the fibre of his very physical and mental being.
He can do it in Seria A. He can do it in Stoke. He can dance. He can boogie.
Poland Performance Breakdown
03:00 – Sabitzer pings a ball at Arnautović. The touch isn’t even remotely close to getting the ball under control. Flimsy.
04:00 – Arnautović advances with an unexpected ball and gets a move going. He strategically peels off at the back post and finds space to receive another delivery from Sabitzer. He doesn’t manage to get a shot off and a dangerous position in the box is wasted. Better.
05:00 – Arnautović chases down a defender diligently. Nicks ahead of them but cannot flick it round the corner to a wide-open left flank. He does draw a foul cleverly, a few moments later. Lively.
13:00 – Arnautović does well to hold up the ball and lay it off, to keep forward momentum for an Austrian move. Selfless.
14:00 – He tries to creep a ball in through a gap in the Polish defence but there is absolutely no one remotely near where he plays the ball. Careless.
22:00 – He forces a decent save from Wojciech Szczęsny but would have been flagged, as he was offside by an obscene margin. Careless again.
50:00 – He finally gets a noteworthy sniff in the game, after a long spell of being missing in action. He nearly latches on to a looped ball over the top. Resurgent.
63:00 – Again caught offside. This time from a promising free-kick opportunity. Needless.
66:00 – A subtle piece of movement pulls the Polish defender away from Christoph Baumgartner, who fires in a goal from range. Pivotal.
69:00 – Bundles an opposition player to the ground and picks up a yellow. Classic.
77:00 – After flicking a ball on, for a forward move, that leads to a penalty kick for Austria. He duly dispatches, from the spot. Emphatic.
80:00 – He comes off, visibly moved by his goal. Iconic.
Where next?
Austria play Netherlands in the final group game, next Tuesday. It is likely that Arnautović will get the nod over Michael Gregoritsch.
The balance of the team may have produced a sharper intensity with Gregoritsch in the team against France. But to face the facts, they fired a blank in that game. They scored three in the game he started today.
Arnautović started the game against Poland with vim and vigour, before temporarily fading into the shadows.
He’s never been one to bust a gut to win the ball. At 35, that understandably hasn’t changed. Nor perhaps does it need to, as he contributed to the game with a casual nonchalance that belies the significance of his influence.
Influence in creating the space for Baumgartner’s goal. Influence in thudding home a decisive penalty in the game.
Enigmatic, as ever. He’s written his name in folklore in the rain at Stoke. He’ll be hoping to keep etching another chapter of his yarn in Berlin, on Tuesday. Come rain or shine!
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