Marco Rossi: The character, which is our essence, is back

“Football itself is not a complicated game, even if many people try to make it seem like it is. But success also depends on a number of factors that are much more complicated to manage. It was better now than in September,” he sighed Marco Rossi national team captain, whom the MOL Team found to be in a significantly better mood than last time.

The Italian specialist has every reason to be happy, his team first fought hard to score a point from the Netherlands in the – as usual – full house Puskás Arena, and then won in Bosnia much easier than expected.

“At the end of the day, that’s all that matters: did you win or lose? If you lose, everyone talks about your mistakes, if you win, no one talks about what could have been done differently. But I have a huge responsibility when I notice mistakes even in times of victory, and when we are going through a difficult period, I try to give positive energy.”

Even the Dutch had something to complain about

Rossi’s team not only earned a point from the Netherlands, but also defeated the star team in less than a quarter of an hour. We scored a nice goal, we destroyed in a very organized and disciplined way, and Dénes Dibusz was there when needed. In the end we had to settle for one point, but let’s be honest; a draw is a very realistic result.

“I think so too, which is why I’m a little annoyed, because in the end we should have played braver with the man advantage. There was plenty of time left, we should have done more in attack to get the win. Even though the opponent is a very strong team, you have to try to keep them under pressure with the man advantage,” said the captain, but he added that he was satisfied with the one point overall, considering it a feat.

“In football, the stronger team almost always has more of the ball, has more and bigger chances, and most of the time wins. “But we love it precisely because the weaker side can have many tools to defeat the stronger side. This is where a series of things come into play that can upset any order of power.”

Fortunately, the stronger does not always win (photo: MLSZ)

“Discipline and the will to fight are essential, but you cannot learn it in training. He also needs to be in immaculate physical condition, which again the captain has little influence on, as he receives ready-made players from the clubs. You need the heart, the will, the spunk, the self-confidence, and I could go on and on. The point is that the lucky captain gets this from his team, and the unlucky ones don’t always. I was lucky in October,” Rossi said with a big smile.

We didn’t give the Dutch anything for free

“I owe a debt of gratitude to the players because they are up to the task both physically and mentally. If they don’t do that, we won’t get any points from the Netherlands,” the captain stated. We really had the momentum, we also asked if the few sparklingly hard entrances we offered the Dutch were part of our tactics.

“Nowadays, it is a basic requirement to attack the ball aggressively, and we have players who I don’t have to ask for so that the opponent can feel their presence on the field. “I don’t think we were overly harsh, but our goal was to make the Dutch not feel comfortable for even a minute.”

We got into the match hard (photo: Zsolt Réti/Újpest FC)

“First of all, I am very satisfied with the match against the Netherlands not because of the result, but because of the way the boys played. Without detracting from the value of the one point, it meant more to me that I saw again the self-sacrificing, disciplined game to which we had our previous successes. We are back to the character that gives us our essence. And if your team puts its greatest strength on the field, you can no longer be dissatisfied.”

Life is easier when you have a Szoboszlaid

There was a lot at stake in the Bosnia match, but our team handled the obstacle excellently, except for the first ten minutes, we controlled the key meeting almost throughout, and we won confidently thanks to the excellence of Dominik Szoboszlai, who scored a double. Bosnia will certainly finish behind us in the group and that is reassuring news.

“We played well, we won, we controlled the game. I have no reason to complain. Not at all, because I have Dominik Szoboszlai in my team, who stood out from the field, but I got a good performance from the whole team. “There were mistakes, but the most important thing was that we looked like a team every minute, including the game against the Dutch. We helped each other out, everyone was in their place, and it might only be worth one point against the Netherlands, but you can beat Bosnia with it. – he said with satisfaction.

Dominator (photo: MLSZ)

“We had problems after the Euro and the September games. I’m not saying that our confidence took a hit, but we were a bit shaken, so it was very important that the result and the game were right in the two matches in October. Now we feel again that our belief in ourselves is not unfounded, since both were correct. We really needed it.”

Rossi added that, in his opinion, Szoboszlai was praiseworthy not only because of the two goals, but because he was the kind of leader who showed the way with his play. “Highly, he ran the most in the entire field, he was everywhere, he kept things under control. “It’s a great feeling for every coach to have a player of this quality, Dominik has now shown how important he is to us, but of course this is equally true for all players: everyone is needed.”

The captain sees everyone

The four points scored against the Dutch and the Bosnians, as well as the good performance shown, are also valuable because a whole range of top league players were missing: Kerkez Milos from the Premier League was replaced with a class performance by NB I’s Zsolt Nagy, and in Serie A he was great starting Balogh Botondo was replaced by Endre Botka, also playing in the Hungarian top flight, and Bolla Bendegúz, who plays in the Austrian league, played in place of Nego Loic (Ligue 1).

Joe Nagy was fierce in both games (photo: MLSZ)

“There will always be injuries, so it is important that the entire squad is ready, not just the starter who is considered to be the strongest. I mean, it was considered the strongest by the press, because I don’t have one. We have the right people for every match situation and expected match picture, whom I know, I know what to expect from them, and I can put my trust in them.”

“I’ve known Endi Botka since his youth, I know exactly what I can ask of him. Or there is Attila Fiola, who many people don’t understand why I always invite him, even though he is one of my most reliable players who I can count on in any situation.“He is humble, disciplined, and he is so good in his head that a few matches in Újpest were enough for him, and he was back to his old self again. As long as I get this from him, he will be in the national team,” Rossi stated, then added, “I could also mention Andris Schäfer, whose his place is also unquestionable if he is healthy.”

The nation’s Fityó was selected not by chance (photo: Zsolt Réti/Újpest FC)

“I ask the fans to finally trust me and believe that my decisions are well-founded. I don’t punch myself when I invite someone, because either I or one of my assistants is there at every important Hungarian champion. We don’t go to Liverpool and Istanbul to watch matches, but to the NB I courts, for example Kecskemét” – said the captain, turning to him for the next question.

“I saw Tamás Nikitscher play many times, we observed the player carefully and we saw that he was ready for the task. Many people didn’t even know who he was, and now they nod their heads in recognition, saying, “sure, this is a good player!”. We were not surprised by his performance because we knew what he was capable of. I would like them to accept it from me: whoever I put in the starting team belongs there.”

It doesn’t matter how

The Hungarian national team will travel to the Netherlands and host Germany on the last two match days of the Nations League A division. We can probably put Bosnia behind us, but only the second place is enough to stay in, as the third-placed teams play a classifier with B-League second-placed teams. Second place would require a feat of such weight as, for example, a victory in the Netherlands.

His team is back, the captain is also happier (photo: Zsolt Réti/Újpest FC)

“I’m not saying anything new: the paper form promises that we will lose. Maybe it will be like that, but as I said after the games in September, it really doesn’t matter how. For example, I can’t accept the way we lost against the Germans, it can’t happen again that my team disappears from the field.”

“The League of Nations is an extremely important goal for us, we were also aware of the stakes in Bosnia, where we played for our membership in Group A. “Because of the coefficient and the playoff spot in the Nations League, it is important to finish with good results, but right now I am more than happy that my team has returned to its comfort zone in the game.”