Marco Rossi: Success in Hungary has changed my life

– Did you hear that the Italians forgot their operational plan, including a detailed analysis of the Hungarian national team and the players, made for the Nations League match against Hungary in their hotel in Budapest?
– I heard about it, but I haven't seen it yet – Marco Rossi, the 58-year-old Italian head coach of the Hungarian national team, said in an exclusive interview with Nemzeti Sport in Italy. – I'd be glad if I could have it and see what's in it. But I can tell you one thing offhand: Roberto Mancini and his staff have come up with a good plan because Italy defeated us 2-0.

– The next time we meet, we will of course be happy to provide you with the analysis we have in our possession, which has already been published and shows that the Italians have a good opinion of the Hungarian national team.
– Then I have one more reason to have it in my hands. Not to mention that it is written in my mother tongue, so I understand every word.

– I see you're in a good mood. I assume you won't be saddened if I ask you, one month after the series ended, what the first thing is that comes to your mind from the Nations League.
– You're wrong because the first thing that comes to mind is that we lost twice to Italy. We were in a group with three top teams, but only the European champions beat us, Germany and England didn't. On one hand, I'm proud of that, but I'm still annoyed to this day that we didn't get a single point against Italy. The defeat in the last group game, at the Puskás Arena, is particularly painful, not only because it cost us first place, but because I was convinced in the subsequent analysis of what I felt during the game: we made avoidable mistakes. Had we not made them, we could have achieved a better result. We would have deserved more based on our performance. And, of course, there was a refereeing error as well, and in hindsight, it is obvious that both the referee and the VAR made a mistake when we did not get a penalty for the foul against Martin Ádám. And if that wasn't enough, there was Gianluigi Donnarumma, who defended in great form, proving once again that he is one of the best in the world in his position. So, it took a lot to not make history.

Marco Rossi congratulated his players twice on their victory over England in the Nations League (PHOTO: ATTILA TÖRÖK)

– There you go, I thought I was talking to one of the happiest head coaches in the world...
– Don't get me wrong, I was happy with what we had achieved, but you asked me what came to mind first and I answered honestly. I can't stress enough that what we have achieved, especially the players, is impressive, everyone in Hungary felt that nothing was impossible! We have proved that even the most difficult obstacles can be overcome, and I hope that nowadays when there are so many problems to overcome in almost every aspect of life, many people will draw strength from our example. So, no one should think that I am disappointed with our performance in the League of Nations. It's the opposite: I feel proud and satisfied.

– The jersey with your photo and the text "Easy" is now available for purchase...
– Oh, it was a joke! After the Nations League draw was done, I told my nephew who runs my social media site to post this. I think that's enough joke for me. Plus, the fans loved the shirt, and there are only a few left in the MLSZ webshop. But joking aside, our group was anything but easy, but we came out of it pretty well in the end.

– If you had to pick one match out of the six, which would it be?
– It's hard to choose. I would probably say the home game against Germany because, although we didn't win that one, we managed to draw 1-1 with an excellent performance. The world-famous opponents could only get behind us twice or three times, it was an almost perfect ninety minutes from a professional perspective.

– And the success in Leipzig?
– Because in football it's the final score that counts, obviously it was a wonderful thing to win 1-0 in Germany, but we had some problems after the break at that match. We were pinned down by the Germans, we suffered more than we should have, and we only had two or three counterattack chances to increase our advantage in the half. And I would like us to be dangerous not only from counterattacks. Of course, I know Germany was the opponent. Moreover, Ádám Szalai's goal was stunning! That game will always be remembered, as will the Wolverhampton game. To beat England in England 4-0 is beyond fantastic! That match was another milestone in the wonderful history of Hungarian football, as was the 6-3 success of the Golden Team. Now that we are talking about it, one memory after the other is coming back.

THE HUNGARIAN NATIONAL TEAM'S SCHEDULE FOR THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS (graphics)

– Which one is the most beautiful of all?
– When the Hungarian fans started clapping during the Italian anthem in the home match against Italy, it was quite eerie. I didn't know it at the time, but I found out later that it was for me too. Thank you very much, it was a real breath of fresh air. What I felt then will remain in my heart for the rest of my life.

– Did your old friend from Italy, Roberto Mancini, or someone else mention this after the game?
– Not to me, but as far as I know the head coach thanked the fans at the press conference. When we spoke before and after the game, my compatriots spoke highly of us. The last time we met, at the European Championship qualifying draw in Frankfurt, we also heard some words of praise from them and so from Gareth Southgate and Luis Enrique, for example.

– If you could turn back time and change one thing, what would it be?
– Good question... What my colleagues and I could do to make the best possible performance, we did; my staff did an excellent job. Of course, there is always room for improvement, we are always looking at how we can move forward. We are always trying to show the players something new, something good because we can motivate them. But to give you an exact answer to the question: I wouldn't mind if I could somehow get at least one of the two defeats against Italy to be a draw. However, I am pleased to see that my reputation in Italy has grown, and I feel more respected than before. More importantly, wherever I go, I notice that the image of Hungarian football has improved a lot. The impression was the same in Frankfurt last time.

– Speaking of Frankfurt and the draw: can we be optimistic about the qualifiers?
– We can be optimistic, but only if we maintain our modesty. Advancement is not an impossible task, at least this time we won't be facing three such strong rivals as in the Nations League. We have a different set of games to play and a different kind of pressure to deal with. If I look at the order of strength, Serbia is first, followed by us. We have the chance to qualify, but we can only achieve our goal if we can carry this burden. Now the tables are turning: the situation we were in against Germany, Italy, and England will be the same for one or two teams against us. But nobody should expect easy games against Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Lithuania. It may sound strange to say, but it could be harder against them than it was against the classy teams in the Nations League. In the World Cup qualifying series against Albania, it was clear that if mentally and physically we are not 100 percent, we will have major problems. It will almost be a completely new situation for us to have the burden of being favorites on our shoulders.

– Can we agree that we could have been in a more difficult group?
– There is no doubt about that. But the fact that it didn't happen is mainly due to our good performance, as a result of which we were drawn from the first hat. It's reassuring that qualifying is more up to us than our opponents, but we need to take another step forward to make our dream a reality. We need to be prepared that the rivals will defend, so the two preparation matches in November will also serve to find a solution to that. The only certainties are that we will need the best players and be in the best form.

– Ádám Szalai will no longer play in the qualifiers. Have you figured out how to replace him?
– I can't completely replace him. He was a great captain for the national team. My staff and I have already talked about who is most deserving to wear the armband, and based on the criteria we've set up, we have an idea. But before we make a decision, I would like to consult with the key members of the team. I am the head coach, the responsibility is mine, but I consider myself a democratic leader and I am interested in others' opinions. At the beginning of the next training, we will discuss it because we are looking for a player who enjoys the confidence of his peers and is worthy in every respect to be captain of the Hungarian national team.

– Do you know who could replace him on the pitch?
– There are several options, the first being Martin Ádám. The question is if he gets the chance as a starter, how much he can bear. He has been doing very well for his South Korean club Ulsan recently, scoring goals and assisting, but he rarely plays the whole game. He deserves his chance as a starter; we'll see what happens. We are also prepared for the possibility that there will be games where we will not use a classic midfielder, but a false nine. We try to prepare for every possibility.

– You and the team will have the opportunity to test against Luxembourg on November 17 and Greece three days later. What would you like to see in those two matches?
– First and foremost, I want to see how the team reacts to the absence of one of its leaders. We look at every match as an opportunity to improve. In the meantime, I expect the same passion from the footballers as we have seen in the past. Ever since I was appointed national team head coach, I have been saying that there is no difference between a competitive and a preparation game. The moment you put on the national team jersey, you represent your country and from then on, you have to play to make your country proud.

– Is it already a fact that Balázs Dzsudzsák will play against Greece?
– Yes. I can confirm that MLSZ and the national team will bid farewell to Balázs Dzsudzsák from the squad in the match against Greece. As I have said before, he deserves a farewell match just as Gábor Király or Roland Juhász did. In the case of Balázs Dzsudzsák, we have not had the opportunity to do this so far, and now the match against Greece is an opportunity to make it happen.

– In this interview, we looked back over the past few months, but finally, let's look back over the past ten years, as you started working in Hungary in 2012. Have these ten years passed quickly?
– It has gone by in a flash! I will always be grateful to this country for what I have experienced. I'm especially grateful to the players because I would have been nowhere without them. But not just me, even Jürgen Klopp, Josep Guardiola, or Carlo Ancelotti wouldn't be successful without their footballers. I consider it the best and luckiest decision of my entire career, both as a player and a coach, that I came to Hungary ten years ago. As a footballer, I never achieved the results I have as Honvéd's and then the national team's head coach. I had successes and experiences that changed my life.