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The general consensus is that the Habsburgs have struggled to make the best use of their huge resources in a club rife with factional power struggles.
On the pitch, the naturalised central midfielders (Metternich and Eugene) deserve the world-class label, but cannot carry the entire team through every campaign.
Fans had high expectations of Sisi, but her lack of discipline has led to rumours she’s only there to increase shirt sales. Her partnership with Franz Joseph on the right shows no real chemistry, despite much early promise.
The attempt to benefit from the foreign experience of Antoinette and Karl also proved fruitless. Antoinette in particular tends to lose her head in pressure situations.
A defensive formation certainly reflects the players’ reluctance to take the initiative and match the attacking prowess of the club’s rivals.
In a recent game against Turkey, for example, statistics reveal Leopold made only one sprint in the entire 90 minutes: away from the pitch before kick off. After the game, he commissioned a lifesize statue of himself scoring the winning penalty, even though he was not even in the stadium at the time.