Nineteen years ago, Artmedia Petržalka got into the Champions League. Now he is one step away from a similar piece with Slovan Bratislava.
Slovan Bratislava coach Vladimír Weiss senior. is looking forward to tomorrow’s rematch of the Slovak champion against the Danish – FC Midtjylland. The return duel of the LM play off is on the program tomorrow at 21:00 at Tehelno poli. In the first, a 1:1 draw was born.
“I take it as a chance to fulfill what I said – that teams like FC Barcelona or Real Madrid will come to Tehelné polé,” he said at the official press conference.
Are you looking forward to the Champions League playoff rematch?
We know what kind of match awaits us. People are cheering us on the street. You can’t even go for coffee. They approach you and want to take a picture. All of Bratislava and maybe all of Slovakia are cheering for us.
I’m happy about it, it affects me and the players. I have to prepare the players so that they are not overmotivated and at the same time look forward to the match. Look at Tigran. He has a good nature for such duels. He thinks positively, he is an expert and an excellent football player.
What awaits you in the next few hours?
We are going to a training camp in Šamorín, where we will have tactical training and play a match tomorrow evening. It is not a duel of ten or twenty years.
I take it as a chance to fulfill what I said – that teams like FC Barcelona or Real Madrid will come to Tehelné polje. It depends on us whether the best teams from the Champions League or the fantastic ones from the Europa League come. FC Midtjylland wants the same.
What will be the retaliation?
We analyzed the opponent. Sometimes all it takes is one good decision to get the team going. The Danish champion is of high quality, has modern types of players. We are more experienced and that, with the passion of people and players, can decide. If they have more physically, we can make up for it emotionally.
In the first press release, you talked about the dream of getting Slovan into the Champions League. Did you think then that after three years you could get this close?
I said that, but I didn’t know how long I could last here. I have been here for three and a half years. It’s enough. It’s not easy here. The responsibility is great towards the people in the club, the fans, the management and I am also from Bratislava. There are many factors for me to bear this responsibility.
We have created conditions incomparable with other Slovak teams and we play at a level where such service is a matter of course and the opponents have it even better. It will be a balanced duel.
Maybe definitely one mistake. I can’t predict that. Just promise that we will give it our best and people will be able to applaud us after the meeting regardless of the result.
Only Lukáš Pauschek and Sharani Zuberu are injured?
Two or three players had a virus, something is in the air, but yes, only those two are absent.
Data versus coaching feeling. What can decide?
I caught that on some English station they said we were old school. I’m my age, but we’re not hers. We try to work at a high level in the club. Apparently we don’t have a scouting or technical department like FC Midtjylland.
They certainly analyzed us – maybe even better than we analyzed them. Data won’t let you go now even when you buy players. We also have some data. Spirituality will be important. As we are under pressure, so is the opponent.
We both want to go to the Champions League. We won a result that gives us a chance to progress tomorrow. It could have been better or worse. 50 on 50 starts and it will be shown who was better in the double match.
How about the opponent’s winger Dario Osorio?
I was surprised that Osoria was withdrawn by the coach. From a tactical point of view, the coach sometimes has to do it and take risks. After all, Vlado (Weiss Jr. note) also had cards or Guram Kašia. They can be carded. Osorio is an exceptional talent.
He is twenty years old and knows a lot about football. The coach showed him who was the boss in the cabin and what he had to do. He has huge potential, for which the opponent paid a lot of money. However, we also have such players who decide matches.
Can’t the pressure in front of a sold-out stadium hurt the players?
A typical Slovak question and a typical Slovak journalist. Honor the exceptions… What can I say to you? People have always pushed us forward. We believe that they will put us in a trance and with a clear head we will be stronger.
Lost in memories to 2005, when you and Artmedia were promoted over Partizan Belgrade after the shootout?
That’s more for you journalists to remind people. I rather remember the football players who played back then. They became great players, we like to talk about it and reminisce. We also had a second attempt against Juventus Turin, Slovan was relegated ten years ago with BATE, but then again advanced through AS Rome.
People can find everything on YouTube if they don’t remember it. You can’t live from memories, we have to look ahead. Actually, I don’t even have any jerseys or souvenirs at home. I gave everything away.
However, I have memories in me that will not go away. Even my players know that we had good times with Artmedia, but it is behind us. Another match awaits us.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
