Laura Feiersinger: “It’s not about moving the ball but moving the opponent, which allows me to know where the free space is.”
Pressing Questions #4: Laura Feiersinger
Austrian football’s history has a rags-to-riches kind of story. While it may not be swimming in mountains of gold, their trajectory to the summit of European and world football is nothing short of remarkable.
The production line of players that we see now is a result of a vision and strategy of a nation hell-bent on wanting to improve its infrastructure and become a top footballing country. The players they’ve developed now include the likes of Sarah Zadrazil, Manuela Zinsberger, Katharina Naschenweng, Nicole Billa, Sarah Puntigam, and Laura Feiersinger.
Austrian women’s football’s entire eligible playing base is around 10,000-12,000 women. This country started with a nominal figure of less than 5,000 and in a decade it doubled that figure but it is still small in comparison to other nations around the world. When you look at the players they’ve developed, it is a testament to their outstanding vision and development plan. One of the main figures behind their staggering rise is Dominik Thalhammer. The Austrian managed the side from 2011 to 2020 where he took the team to a semi-final where they narrowly lost to Denmark.
This achievement capped the journey that took them from amateur and semi-pro status players to full-time professionals. The entire setup has become carefully manipulated to create the perfect environment for development.
Thalhammer’s tactical philosophy was built on discipline and a counter-attacking style that was predicated on excellent off-the-ball movement and positioning. The performance at Euro 2017 was a testament to this style that saw them go so far in the tournament. His successor - Irene Fuhrmann - was already part of the coaching setup so she understood the core philosophies the team was built on. Her promotion was not only meant to continue the existing legacy, but to build upon it with her own ideas. Several of the current playing squad members are now thriving more so than before because of her changes.
Laura Feiersinger is one of the beneficiaries of this enhanced Austrian side and is one of Europe’s most underrated hidden gems, currently plying her trade for Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. The creative midfielder recently sat down with me to discuss her take on tactics, her game, and Austrian football.
Let’s take it back to the beginning of your career, you were playing in a wider position, flying up and down the flanks, how would you describe your role as you started out back then and what were your main traits as a player back then?
When I was still playing with the boys I played every position, for me growing up, it didn’t matter in what position I played. When I was signing for my first women’s team, I eventually settled for a role on the wings because when I was younger I was super, super fast. I loved the 1v1 situations. At times, I was allowed to play as a 10 or even striker, I really enjoyed it more than playing on the wings. You have so many more actions and touches with the ball, and I always felt like I was more involved in the game. I can decide the game from here.
When you play on the wings, you almost feel like you’re dependent on the game and the service to you and the game situation. You sometimes have to do a lot of waiting. You have to be very patient but now I prefer to play centrally. I just changed as a player as I grew up.
So it sounds like you love controlling play, you love receiving the ball in between the lines, and are constantly looking to move the ball forward. Now, considering you’ve played as both a winger and central midfielder, when you do get the ball in these areas, is it about finding that next pass or is it about carrying the ball forward? Which one suits your game more?
I think for me it’s about finding the pass. I like playing with two-three touches - get a simple pass, move into a better position and play it to the next player. When I was younger I always felt I needed to produce a moment of magic every time to be in the game but now I like playing the simple game, breaking lines, making sure you keep possession and this is what really changed my game.
Do you think you have a similar role for Austria and Eintracht Frankfurt or are they different?
It’s a bit hard to answer but when I started playing for the national team I always started on the wings and after the 2017 Euros I moved to the central position. When I signed for Frankfurt, I was again playing as a right-winger because at the time we were playing a 4-2-3-1.
Now I play as an 8 for Frankfurt but for the National Team, I had to play on the wings again. It’s a bit hard to say now but I keep switching roles. I think ultimately, my National Team coach will play me as a number 8 so it then becomes similar for me for both club and country.
You’ve played in multiple positions (central midfielder, attacking midfielder, etc). Do you prefer playing as an 8 or a 10? Which one gives you more freedom to play your natural game?
I think it comes down to discipline. You also have to be smart as a 10 but you have a little bit more freedom to move around. As an 8 you need to make sure your position is good, you stay between the lines but you don’t drift too far out wide or too close to the defensive midfielder.
If you play as an 8 you really have to take care of where your teammates are and how you position yourself. I think it’s such a cool position because somehow you are able to break two lines so once you get to the defensive line, you have the freedom to decide what to do. Whether you want to dribble towards them or move out wide. So if you have the right [initial] position and great movement from your teammates, then I think the 8 can have as much freedom. But before all this, you need to have the discipline to receive the ball in good areas and be patient.
Did you think you gained that discipline as you grew older or did you always have that?
No, definitely not. When I was younger, I didn’t think that much about what I was doing on the pitch. For me, it was all about getting the ball and then deciding what to do next. As I said, I love the 1v1 situations so I wanted to just be in those positions. I didn’t think that if I received the ball a little bit further forward or closer to my teammates and how that could affect my next decision. My focus was just on the opponent and how they were playing and finding spaces around them. I was playing off instinct.
My old National Team coach [Dominik Thalhammer] had a big influence on me as I started thinking differently about football and what I was doing on the pitch. I started thinking about why we would do certain things on the pitch. He was a reason for me to change my approach to games.
If we focus on Austria for a minute, you’ve played under two big personalities and influences of Austrian football in Dominik Thalhammer and now Irene Fuhrmann, two people who have really changed the way Austrian football is played in 10 years. Thalhammer’s philosophy was very clear and very much based on structure and discipline giving clear instructions to players about their roles.
Fuhrmann was part of the backroom staff over the last few years, and when she got promoted, there was no big change in the way things were run but rather a sprinkling of enhancements and her influence. How different is the team now compared to 2017 and what are the tactical aspects that stand out to you now?
It’s very hard to pinpoint exactly what that is but I think Irene learned so much from Thalhammer, and I still feel like everything we do is about the system we played with him. Our foundation all started from him because we worked with him for 10 years and I think that’s so hard to change, especially because Irene was his assistant.
Though the only thing I really see that changed is that she gives us more freedom on the pitch. This mainly comes in both the middle and final third. We tried to become more possession heavy and control the game after the Euros (2017) because we were really good off the ball but on the ball, we were just okay.
When we went to the Euros, Thalhammer said we don’t want to go there to play beautiful football, we want to go there to be effective. These tactics suited us which made us really good. We were able to play these tactics very well and keeping possession wasn’t really our strength or main focus. Since then we’ve been working on it more but yeah this is probably where Irene has had a major effect.
So how do you feel you can make a mark in a team that played such a disciplined system by being a creative player?
Sometimes it’s hard but I feel like you have to find the balance for yourself. You have to know why you do certain things on the pitch and you have to play for the team. I can’t be like ‘I’m creative so I won’t do certain things on the pitch’. For me, it’s always about the team. In certain moments, I feel like I can show that I’m creative but I just need to get into those situations.
For example, if we defend against an attack but win the ball back and I’m able to get into a good attacking area, then it’s okay for me to show my creative side. I also had to learn that I just need to play an easy or simple ball and that is okay. I think you just have to know that as a player, you have to find that balance and to know you can’t always be creative even if you want to because it’s about the team and tactics.
What would you consider as a key tactical/technical aspect to succeed in the middle of the park? When you’re playing as an 8 or a 6, everything runs through you or your partner. For you, what’s the biggest characteristic needed for a player in your position?
One of the most important things, is understanding what and why you do certain things again. For me, it’s always about finding space and knowing where I need to be. So if the ball is on the opposite side, then I know where to find the space. For me, it’s not about moving the ball but moving the opponent, which allows me to know where the free space is.
It’s also about pre-orientation (identifying players positions before the ball is played) because if you only focus on yourself, it’s hard to see other things. I always have that. When I have a good game, my orientation and focus in the game was good, but if I don’t have a good game then my orientation wasn’t good because I was too slow [to react] at times. I think about finding spaces and having that orientation is very important and knowing what’s going to happen next.
Right, let’s go into some hypotheticals, if you could pick an ideal system to play in, what would it be and why?
I think my favourite system is a 4-3-3, so one six, two 8s, two wingers and one striker. I like playing with three in the middle [midfielders]. At Eintracht Frankfurt, we play with 4-1-2-1-2, but sometimes I find it hard to find the number 10 because of the overloads in midfield. I feel like if you can’t find the number 10 or play the 10 into smart spaces, they miss out sometimes. If you move too far wide as this player then you’re [potentially] in the passing line of the number 8s, so for me, I love to play in a 4-3-3.
Sorry, we’re going to take a quick detour, but when I watch you play, I noticed you drift into the half-space a lot and like to make your moves from there too. Is it just opportunistic or is this a deliberate move?
No, this is something I like doing. I always love to get the ball there and for me, it’s about the connection with the centre-back. The centre-back also has to know you’re in this position and has to be brave to play this pass [into the channels]. I love to position myself there but I sometimes get angry because I don’t receive the ball, but it’s fine! I think it takes so much work to find a good position but if someone else misses the chance to play that pass then it can get hard but it’s all about timing. You just need to have trust in your skills.
Back to your dream team, if you were given free rein to choose your ideal midfield setup in this, who would you choose in this 4-3-3?
For sure, I’d pick Sarah Zadrazil, we played together for over 10 years. We have a special connection together. I always feel like when I play with her in the national team, I think I play every second ball to her or receive the ball with her. Sometimes with the ball, we’re similar because we want to play the easy passes. I somehow always have a good feeling when she has the ball or next to me. There’s so much trust in each other which makes us better players.
I also like Sarah Puntigam, it’s like the triangle from the national team. This is my favourite midfield because you know it’s strange for me because I was injured for quite a long time and when I came back the connection between us just came back instantly. It gives us so much power I would say.
I’m going to show you a couple of clips of you in certain moments. I’d love to know your thought process and decision-making behind these actions. In this first clip, the moment you receive possession on the half-turn, what are you thinking and looking to do in this sort of position?
I remember this game, our main goal was to find our 8s. It was Sarah and I playing as the central midfielders. We had to find the positions to get past the midfield line. I was always making sure my position was fine, and if I get the ball then I have to make sure that I can break the midfield line. So once I got the ball, I knew my positioning was fine, I know that I broke the line from there.
I always know that our wingers are fast, so I don’t have to think much about their positioning. We talked a lot about it [out ball to the wingers] and practised it in training. So for me, it was automatic to play it to them. It gave me the confidence to know what to do next. I would take 1-2 touches and just play the ball out wide.
It seems like you don’t even need to think here, similar to what you were saying earlier, you just picked up the ball, this time deeper, and played a ball through, penetrating their defensive line. Was this the case here again?
I believe Lisa (Makas) was playing on the wings and we talked about it a lot during the game that as soon as I get the ball and I’m able to turn, she should just go deep and make the run. I check my [pre-requisites] again, positioning, see if I can move, and take an extra touch, and I can go. It looks very easy in this moment but I think it was just perfect starting with Viki Schnaderbeck’s pass from the back to me, that was already really good and everything just worked out.
To end, how do you see your position evolving and changing over the next few years? Do you think you’ll change your game as you get into your 30s?
Of course, I always have to change my game and adapt to get better. I don’t think the position will change that much. Ahh, it’s actually a tough question, but I don’t think I’ll be able to change as much as I have in the past 2-3 years because I feel really good in the way I play now. I don’t think I will change as a player more than I am in terms of role.
For me, it’s so important for me now to stay fit and healthy, free of injuries. I have been able to learn so much in the last 5-10 years and I think I’ve learnt a lot of what I wanted from football and now it’s about applying it on the pitch every time I play.
I’m so thankful for Dominik Thalhammer, he was one of the best coaches I ever had, he gave me everything I needed and now it’s up to me to put everything on the pitch, to stay healthy. I don’t think I’ll change much as a player because I feel like I’ve found what I need and want to do as a player. Now it’s about what I do on the pitch.
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