Ákos Kecskés: I am hopeful before the squad announcement

Ákos Kecskés's introduction was delayed. The two-time Hungarian national team defender bid farewell to Switzerland after three years in Lugano and signed with Russian Premier League rookie team, Nizhny Novgorod on July 29. Although he was healthy, his first league game had to wait until August 14 as his work visa had not been certified for weeks, and he had not received his playing permit. Last Tuesday, the news came in, and the papers were ready on Wednesday so he could join the team at practice.

"On Monday, I was just a joker at the possessing-the-ball drill. As a precaution, I missed some exercises, then I took part in four full-fledged training sessions and made my debut in Saturday's match," Ákos Kecskés, who played in the league against Ufa (1–2), told Nemzeti Sport. "On Friday, I had already guessed that I would be part of the starting lineup this weekend, and when I practiced the tactical elements, it was clear that they would send me in. In a five-defender system, I played my usual position as a right center back, so the role was familiar to me. Head coach Aleksandr Kerzhakov asked me to be disciplined and that in the second half I should go forward as much as possible to help build attacks. Overall, I can be satisfied with my performance, I made a good debut. I played again after two and a half months, I had a good time on the pitch, but I still have to catch up with myself physically – I need a game or two before I regain the rhythm of the match.”

KECSKÉS'S GOAL

It says a lot about the modesty of the footballer from Hódmezővásárhely that when asked about his debut, he did not mention that he headed an equalizer goal, did not point out that he performed his defensive work excellently, and was among the best in the match in other indicators. He won eight of nine aerial duels, had two successful long starts in addition to his three previous tackles, and passed with 90% efficiency.

"I had ambivalent feelings, I couldn't really be happy with my goal after the final whistle because we lost," the 25-year-old defender continued. "We could have led by three goals in the first half, but instead of a deserved advantage, we started the second half with a goalless draw, and since we were unsteady, Ufa won: they took advantage of our mistake twice. We were angry because we outperformed the opponent in the statistics, but we didn't earn a point. After a few hours I was somewhat happy for my goal, but it's a team game, and it's all about winning. As rookies, we can't make mistakes like that. We host Rostov on Sunday, and we want to win."

At Nizhny Novgorod, they prepare hard for the next match regardless of who the opponent will be.

"Aleksandr Kerzhakov's training is much more physically demanding than the one in Lugano; the exercises are more intense here. The players are more aggressive, everyone's burning at a thousand degrees. The strategy is similar to that of Lugano, but there may have been more better-quality football players in the attacking third in the Swiss league, but these are only my first impressions. I consider myself a versatile player; I try to solve the tasks assigned to me, and I hope to make good use of myself in this league. I'm getting more and more integrated into this lifestyle, but I'm not denying that it's a challenge not only to be part of a new club but to a new culture as well. I'm starting to adapt to life here; I understand more and more Russian, and I've already mastered the most important terms related to football. It's a great help that I speak Serbian because I wouldn't understand a word without it. I have little free time, but I have walked around the city, and I have also visited the Kremlin, which is the main attraction here."

Ákos Kecskés primarily focuses on football as he has big plans: he would like to be capped for the Hungarian national team preparing for the World Cup qualifiers in September.

"I am hopeful before the squad announcement. I am over my first league game, and I am hoping to play in the next rounds as well, so I am confident that my performance will convince head coach Marco Rossi. We are fighting to get to the World Cup, which would be a huge achievement. If we perform against England the way we did against Germany or France at the European Championship, we might have a chance to earn points. Of course, it will not be easy against Albania either; a difficult match awaits us in Tirana. My teammate Bekim Balaj is a member of the Albanian national team, and we talked about making a bet on a dinner party. I hope he will pay the check because that would mean that we have taken the three points from Albania."