Former Shakhtar and Romanian national team striker Ciprian Marica shared his expectations for the Romania-Ukraine match in the first round of the Euro 2024 group tournament.
Cyprian Marika– What is the current Romanian team like?
– In the last control matches we did not play very well. Although we won in qualifying, no one will forgive us for our mistakes in the Euro Cup.
– Are all the strongest players in the app?
– 31 players were called up for the expanded squad and after sparring the coaching staff decided on the final candidacy. 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 at 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 (Alavés), Dennis Man (Parma).
Not everything is going well with the goalkeepers, since the Moldovan cannot compete with Oblak at Atlético. The experienced Nice from Gaziantep is 36 years old. As for the defenders, all hopes are pinned on Radu Dragushin (Tottenham). Many expect him to lead the team playing at the highest level.
– What kind of coach is Edward Iordanescu, 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 prepared the team 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 from the old school. More reliable in defense, hoping to catch the opponent in a mistake. In my opinion, the level of the rivals in the group and in the standings will be different, and if Romania wants to reach the playoffs, they will have 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 Cup. There is cautious optimism.
– What can you say about the Ukrainian national team? Who can you highlight?
– As a striker I really sympathize with the man from Girona. Dovbyk broke into the league very well. I expect the same from him in the national team. Yaremchuk has experience, but he really needs confidence. The youngsters of Shakhtar and Dynamo are making a difference here and now.
-How would you describe Vlad Vanat, the best sniper of Dynamo and the UPL?
– I haven’t seen him very often, but I know that Lucescu paved the way for him to join the Dynamo first team.
– Why are there so few Romanians in the UPL lately?
– If we do not take into account the war factor, it is the desire to reach the highest championship, directly or through a springboard league. If we talk about players who have played a lot, then they want to get a good contract in Türkiye.
– Milevskyi and Konoplyanka arrived in Romania as stars, but could not become their own.
– You have 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 until the end with FCDB for the title.
– What is your prediction for the Romania vs. match? Ukraine?
– Draw: 0:0 or 1:1.
Oleksandr KARPENKO
