Former Shakhtar and Romanian national team striker Ciprian Marica shared his expectations from the Romania vs Ukraine match in the first round of the Euro 2024 group tournament.
- What is the current Romanian national team like?
- We didn't play very well in the last control matches. Although we came out on top in the qualifiers, no one will forgive us for our mistakes at the Euros.
- Are all the strongest players in the application?
- 31 players were called up to the expanded squad, and after the sparring sessions, the staff decided on the final application. We can say that Romania has assembled the most optimal squad we have today.
- Who could have qualified for the squad but will not go to Germany?
- Luis Munteanu, whom we rented from Fiorentina, and Constantin Grameni.
- At different times, Romania was famous for strong individual stars like Hadji, Raducea, Munteanu. What are your strengths and weaknesses now?
- Our offense looks promising: Dan Briligia (CFR), Denis Dragusz (Gaziantep), and in the midfield Florinel Coman and Darius Olaru (FCSB), Janis Hadji (Alaves), Dennis Man (Parma).
Not all is well with the goalkeepers, as Moldovan cannot compete with Oblak at Atletico. The experienced Nice from Gaziantep is 36. As for the defenders, all hopes are on Radu Dragushin (Tottenham). Many expect him to lead the team by playing at the top level.
- What kind of coach is Edward Iordanescu, the son of the legendary Romanian coach Angel Iordanescu?
- He is a young specialist who has his own vision of football, communicates well with the players, and has set the team up to play from a position of strength.
- Do they talk about family in Romania?
- Not without it, but the results speak for themselves.
- What are the similarities and differences between him and your father's football?
- My father is an old school. More reliable in defense, hoping to catch the opponent in a mistake. In my opinion, the level of opponents in the group and qualification will be different, and if Romania wants to make it to the playoffs, it will need to adapt to the opponent.
- What is the atmosphere around the national team, how does the federation work?
- Everyone is looking forward to the start of the Euro. There is cautious optimism.
- What can you say about the Ukrainian national team? Who can you single out?
- As a striker, I am very sympathetic to your guy from Girona. Dovbyk broke into La Liga very cool. I expect the same from him in the national team. Yaremchuk has experience, but he really needs trust. Young guys from Shakhtar and Dynamo are making a difference here and now.
- How would you describe Dynamo's and the UPL's best sniper Vlad Vanat?
- I haven't seen him that often, but I know that Mr. Lucescu paved the way for him to join the Dynamo first team.
- Why are there so few Romanians in the UPL lately?
- If we don't take the war factor into account, it's the desire to get to the top championship - directly or through a springboard league. If we talk about players who have played enough, they want to get a good contract in Turkey.
- Milevskyi and Konoplyanka came to Romania in star status, but they could not become their own.
- You need to be inside to understand why they failed. Yes, I heard about the conflict between Konoplyanka and the CFR coach, but now the situation has changed with the arrival of Dan Petrescu, who was able to compete with the FCDB for the title to the last.
- What is your prediction for the Romania vs. Ukraine match?
- A draw - 0:0 or 1:1.
Oleksandr KARPENKO