INTERNATIONAL SOCCER

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7278, 4 October 1933, Page 11

INTERNATIONAL SOCCER

HOW BRITISH TEAMS ARE NOW VIEWED IN EUROPE At a lime when international football rivalry is so keen it is well to know how Great Britain stands in the estimation of foreign players and critics (notes a writer in a leading English paper). Before England narrowly defeated Austria last December England and Scotland were generally ranked first. Since then the performances of Austrian teams in Britain and of British teams on the Continent have brought a change of opinion. The views recently expressed by Gsehweidl, the brilliant Austrian insideright who played against England, may shock some who still believe that the home countries lead the football world by a big margin. “British touring teams have not impressed me at all,” says Gschwicdl. “It is argued that they cannot show their best form after a hard season, but Austrian teams also tour after periods of stern competition, and the results they show are much better than the British. Since with equal physical condition we do better, then our technique must be superior. I admire British positional play, but the style of British teams is often too mechanical. We improvise better than they, and I am particularly fond of playing against them because of the way they arc deceived by feints. We shall continue to make more progress than they, because wc concentrate on developing the offensive, while they give too much attention to the defensive.”

Gschweidl is no partisan of the ,<I W” forward* formation introduced by some British teams. He thinks something could be said for the idea if a line of average forwards, instead of the Arsenal’s brilliant units, had used it with profit. Gschweidl’s most ardent wish is to see a match arranged between his team, First Vienna, and the Arsenal in Paris.