'Mad Dog' unleashed by Austria

'Mad Dog' unleashed by Austria




There were question marks as to whether Emanuel Pogatetz would be available for Austria's UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign, but after a tiring season in the English Premier League, the defender says he is raring to go.

Suspension
The Middlesbrough FC player was dismissed during Austria's concluding 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier and handed a two-match ban. With Austria failing to qualify for the Germany tournament, Pogatetz was left with no more competitive games until the start of UEFA EURO 2008™, meaning the 25-year-old would have to watch the co-hosts' first two Group B matches from the sidelines. However, because of a rule change, the suspension was allowed to be served in friendly fixtures, resulting in coach Josef Hickersberger recalling Pogatetz to the squad for the 3-0 Vienna defeat by Germany on 6 February.

'Motivation'
Nicknamed 'Mad Dog', Pogatetz is likely to be part of a four-man back line alongside Martin Stranzl, Sebastian Prödl and György Garics at UEFA EURO 2008™. "The [UEFA] European Championship is really close and we are already thinking about our group opponents," said Pogatetz, who will face Croatia, Poland and Germany in a tough section. "There was not much left in my batteries after my last match [in the Premier League against Manchester City FC], but now there is fresh motivation. I have hardly had a break but I should have enough to play at 100 per cent in our national team games."

Heavy defeat
Pogatetz has endured a less than straightforward international career since his debut, as a late substitute, on 18 May 2002. That was in a 6-2 loss to Germany, and four years later in September 2006, Hickersberger exiled the former Bayer 04 Leverkusen man for publicly criticising him following a defeat by Venezuela. That is all forgotten now. The player whom Leverkusen loaned to FC Aarau, Grazer AK and FC Spartak Moskva is fully settled at Middlesbrough – he became the first Austrian to score in the Premier League in January 2006, then captained his club on one occasion this term. And with his restoration to the national side, maturity obviously suits him.