Marco Rossi: We are playing against the 2nd best team in Europe

“It won’t be an easy match, because the German team is perhaps the second best on the continent after the European champions Spain. In addition to the quality of their players, they are also performing great as a team. Since the appointment of Julian Nagelsmann, harmony has been immediately established, so the world our rival has matured into a team belonging to the top line. Our goal is to come off the field with our heads held high and finish with a good overall picture. With this in mind, it is not advisable to experiment against Germany. The starter will be whoever earned it during the year – said the Italian professional manager, who also has Hungarian citizenship, at his press conference on Monday, adding that Attila Fiola, who is returning after his suspension, will definitely play.

Rossi also spoke about track coach Ádám Szalai, he revealed that he is better, he is at home with his wife and little daughter, and the public will learn more about his condition when the former team captain deems it good.

“It was shocking for me, at first I didn’t even notice what happened. Then I saw on their faces that the problem was serious. It wasn’t easy to process. The players decided to continue, I think they did the right thing. They made the most of what they could,” he quoted the 60-year-old coach described the dramatic moments of the match in the Netherlands.

Let’s end this not-so-nice year

Rossi explained that the year 2024 was not positive for him, because it was not possible to cover the paper form, as they had previously exceeded expectations. Nevertheless, I want to end the year well.

“Barnabás Varga was tired, that’s why we replaced him. Szabó performed more difficult in duels and possessions. In addition, he received a blow, so it’s not certain that he can play against the Germans,” said Rossi about Levente Szabó, who played as a rookie in Amsterdam. “We already expressed with his invitation that we see potential in him, it’s an honor. But I also want to communicate that this is not a final destination, from here I expect three times as much work for development”.

We have to play much better than in September (photo: MLSZ)

Rossi tried to clarify the situation of Kerkez Milos, who resigned from the national team due to injury. According to him, the Bournemouth player did not message him with the ice bath photo posted on social media, because then he would have called him.

The player is always more important than the coach. They are the protagonists, it depends on them what kind of performance we provide. Kerkez is a national treasure, I just drew a conclusion. “In the past, we have seen someone canceling the national team, it is enough to think of Péter Gulácsi. Kerkez has now made a similar decision to keep the interests of his club in mind. This means that I have no conflict with either Kerkez or Gulácsi,” said the captain.