02.10.2023 | A
KEK SELECTED FOR THE MATCHES WITH FINLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND
The head coach of the Slovenian national football team, Matjaž Kek, presented the list of players on Brdo pri Kranje that he will count on in the upcoming two qualifying matches for the 2024 European Championship against Finland and Northern Ireland. As expected, the selector called on proven forces for important matches.
" The final actions are ahead of us. We need points for our wishes and goals. Already the first competitor brings a lot of motivation, belief that quality Slovenia will get new points," said Kek in the introduction.
" We are in the middle of the season and there is always a problem. There is still a week until the assembly, we will follow those who have problems. This list has verified names, but there are still names waiting to be called. But I am looking forward to the challenge, it is a great privilege , so that we can think about our quality and absorb the positive energy from the last matches in Ljubljana, " the selector added and emphasized that he is not yet concerned with calculating how many points Slovenia still needs to win.
" I'm only interested in every next game. Finland is too much of a challenge to think about anything else ," he emphasized and continued: " All four games until the end are the most important and will be the most important. Finland has a team that has its own 'guard', but as I said, respect the opponent, but first take care of our preparation so that we can be relaxed enough to play well ."
Kek singled out quite a few names regarding the problems with the players, including Miha Zajc, who is not on the list this time, David Brekal is waiting for an MRI, and Vanja Drkušić and Andraž Šporar also have problems of one kind or another. " But 23, 24, 25 players, we trust everyone. This list will undergo some changes, so we will activate players from the Slovenian league, foreign leagues, those we will need. And in Belfast, muscles will also be needed, we are also thinking about that in the expert staff ."
After six qualifying matches, Slovenia is doing well, as it is in first place in Group H with 13 points, Denmark has the same number of points, Finland and Kazakhstan have one less each, Northern Ireland has three, and San Marino has no points. The first two places in the group lead to the EP in Germany.
Slovenia will first host Finland in the expectedly sold-out Stožice on October 14 at 6 p.m., and on October 17 they will host Belfast in Northern Ireland. That showdown will start at 8:45 p.m. In these qualifications, the Slovenian team lost in Finland with 0:2, but at home they eliminated Northern Ireland with 4:2.
Before that, the Slovenian team played two matches against Finland, in 2013 they also lost 0:2 away, and in 1999 they played with them 1:1. She played five more games with the Northern Irish, losing 0-1 in 2016, drawing 0-0 in 2011, losing 0-1 again in 2010 and 2009, and winning 2-0 in 2008. .
Slovenia is ranked 59th by the International Football Association, Finland is 54th, and Northern Ireland is 74th.
More to come!
nzs.si/novica/Kek_izbral_za_tekmi_s_Finsko_in_Severno_Irsko?id=57399&id_objekta=1
What did Matjaž Kek talk about when revealing the list for the match with Finland?
About the test against Finland
The first opponent is one who carries a lot of desire and motivation. I hope that we will play in the sold-out Stožice. At the same time, I hope that this will be a good Slovenia, a quality Slovenia. The only goal is to reach new points.
About the excitement before the long-awaited confrontations
I'm glad it's not too big of a circus. The players have their obligations, the club matches are concentrated and every third or fourth day they are in motion. It sounds good that they are having some problems, but they are confident that they will be ready by Monday, when we gather. This national team has shown maturity in the last period.
But I don't like euphoria. Let this euphoria be on the field and it will drive us forward. At the same time, she dictated to us maturity and responsibility. It wouldn't be right to be too presumptuous, but we are aware of our quality and let others think about it as well.
On whether this is the opportunity of a generation
First of all, I start from myself. I think about boys, but I start from myself. This qualification to the big competition is the goal that drives me forward. I pass it on to the boys. I don't put pressure on them, there is always pressure in football. No one is as cool as a 'spritzer', the pressure always rises before a game and rightly so.
About how many points Slovenia still needs to qualify for the Euros
Everything that was has already passed. I'm not a fan of calculating points, you're the experts on that and you'll surely come up with spreadsheets that will explain everything. It is not a cliché, there is only the next match in front of the eyes. Finland is too much of a challenge to think about anything else.
About how authoritative the first match against Finland is
This will be a new challenge. The opponent has the same goals and desires as then. They were very euphoric at the game in Helsinki and we had to congratulate them. They scored goals, we didn't. But just as we analyze, so does everyone else. Things are almost impossible to hide.
All four games until the end are and will be the most important. Finland is a team that has its own character, which I like. They are a respectable opponent. But we only think about ourselves, to be collected and relaxed enough to show everything we can do.
About the medical record before this campaign
A few players have problems with injuries, one of them is David Brekalo. Magnetic resonance will show how serious the injury is. Miha Zajc is also not in action, Vanja Drkušić has not been in the squad for some time, yesterday Andraž Šporar was also missing due to an injury at Panathinaikos.
There are 23, 24, 25 players here and I trust every single one of them. This list will certainly undergo certain changes, we will activate players from the Slovenian league and from abroad. If, of course, we need football players. These are matches where you need muscle and character. We are thinking in this direction.
About Benjamin Šešek and his form
I know his coach, when I was alone in Rijeka, he was in Salzburg. I know him as a person and I think this is the best thing that could have happened to Beni. A step forward in your career can always go either way. But his impudence and purity, that's something special.
But it is a fact that it is harder to get minutes in this competition. He would certainly like to not only play every game, but to play one in the morning and one in the afternoon. It is important that it remains 'Beni'. He has a desire to prove himself, and now the opponents are clubs like Bayern and Manchester City, so it is utopian to expect him to be as successful as he was at Liefering or Salzburg.
These are the steps that young athletes must take to test themselves whether they are already right or not. In Leipzig, Kevin Kampl also helps him with the adaptation, this is very important. In any case, I expect Benjamin Šeško to be one of the most important individuals in this cycle of the national team.
sportklub.n1info.si/nogomet/s-kom-v-boj-s-finci-in-severnimi-irci-kek-razkril-seznam/
