Romania’s national football team face Colombia in their second European Championship warm-up match in Germany, and coach Edi Iordenescu has spoken of the challenges they face ahead of the game in Madrid.

• The match between Romania and Colombia will take place on Tuesday, at 21:30, at the “Atletico Madrid” – “Civitas Metropolitano” stadium. The match will be broadcast live on Antena 1 and in the format LiveBLOG on HotNews.ro.

“Colombia is the most prepared national team in the world,” says Edi Iordenescu

Jordenescu said that the match with Colombia will be much more difficult than with Northern Ireland (1:1). The selector pointed out that the Romanian national team does not have 3-4 sets, like other teams such as France or England, and asked the managers of the Super League to focus on young players.

“It was a good test with Northern Ireland. I tested certain things, checked certain things, tried certain experiments. We assumed this together with the staff. This is the only time we can do such testing. It will be very difficult to do this from May to June.

I gave minutes to certain players. We will do the same tomorrow night against Colombia. We’re talking another level tomorrow night. Colombia is currently the most prepared national team in the world. It is a very efficient team, very well organized, with a lot of individual qualities.

He beat Spain, Brazil and Germany, and it’s no accident. I saw matches. This happened after 20 matches without defeat. A mix of fantasy and South American quality and discipline and the rigor of what Europe stands for.

An extremely important test awaits us. We have many complaints. We are waiting for answers. Compared to the match in Bucharest, there will be a lot of changes, quite a lot, because we want to test everything. It is a risk, but it is related to our strategy, and I fully accept this responsibility.

It’s not easy for the team when we make changes because it affects the orientations, the automaticity, the chemistry of the game. Even if we have a basic structure that we tried to strengthen and develop as much as possible to make the game more difficult, when you make a lot of changes, it is felt.

Again, this is a message of confidence for all players. This time I assumed that the core of players was larger, but I saw that this core caused this qualification. We trust all players, but they have to come out as prepared as possible, realizing the importance of every moment in every game.

We have a very good streak and we want to continue it, but in order to be able to come out with a positive result, it will be very important to find the ability to fight, work hard and organize well. Let’s take responsibility, including when we have the ball. Let’s be both reactive and proactive.

We are also indebted to the very large presence of Romanian fans in the stands. We want to make them happy, to give them the most wonderful moments. Many are also tempted by homesickness. I am sure that they come with joy to see their national team” – Edi Jordanescuat the press conference, quoted by News.ro.

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“Tricolor”, short preparation time after the championship

“This will be one of the biggest challenges for me and my staff this summer. Apart from the fact that we will have to be very careful in the choices we make, the difference between how our boys finish the championship will be a big challenge in how we can match the physicality.

The calendar is tighter than ever. Never, when the national team reached the final tournament, it had such a short period. We don’t have the possibility of a centralized camp abroad, more days with the boys, but we try to work according to the scenario we have, find the best solutions” – Edi Jordanescu.

>> PHOTO of Edi Yordenescu with two former selectors before leaving for Spain

“We are trying to stimulate internal competition. Just when he comes out to play against Vinicius. In Romania you play at a different level”

Edi Iordanescu stated that he wants the domestic competition to grow and have a larger selection area.

“At the risk of upsetting a lot of people, I’m assuming what I’m saying now. We don’t have 3-4 sets like other national teams like France, England or Spain. We are trying to force an expansion of the selection zone, we are trying to stimulate internal competition, keep our eyes open and see an example of what the national team has sacrificed and achieved in this qualification. A message to encourage young and very young players.

We don’t have many solutions at this point. It’s easy to say they don’t play x or y. Let’s take a look at the domestic competition that clicked very often and quickly when it came out in Europe. I am not deceiving myself. Let’s see who they will play against. Just when he comes out to play against Vinicius. In Romania, you play on a different level.

Yes, I want our competition to grow. I’m glad that there are teams with traditions that we lost in the lower leagues or through bankruptcy. We need our players to raise their level and be ambitious about what the national team has achieved.

I am open to foreigners coming to compete, but I think there we should pay more attention to the quality they bring. There are also many experiments that come and are below the level of young Romanian players. These things affect me, I’m very realistic. We monitor them, analyze them, monitor them.

We hold discussions with managers, coaches and employers. I personally speak and do it all the time where I find free space. There are things that cannot be changed by clapping your hands. This is reality.

We have players in the top league who don’t play a lot, but we can’t afford to lose them. We reach out to them as much as we can so they can help us. Ratiu has been very important to us in the campaign and we cannot lose him. It becomes a big problem when you don’t play for months” – Edi Jordanescu.

>> Romania drew with Northern Ireland in the first match of preparation for Euro-2024

“Denis Alibek additionally works in Qatar. Exit to the EURO depends only on him”

“Regarding Denys Alibek, we monitor all his games, we have parameters from his training in Qatar. I would like them to have a higher level of preparation, a more difficult championship. It’s a choice they make, and it’s not okay for us to choose for them.

He assumed that. He approached very positively, he works extra there and we know it. He has a physical trainer with whom he works out additionally. This makes me happy. It depends only on him to show a good sports form and to be among those who will represent Romania at the EURO” – Edi Jordanescu.

Romania group for friendlies with Northern Ireland and Colombia

doorman

Horatio MOLDOVAN (Atletico Madrid | Spain, 9/0), Florin NIG (Gaziantep | Turkey, 19/0), Stefan TIARNOVANU (FCSB, 1/0), Marian IOANI (FC Rapid 1923, 0/0);

protection

Andrei RAYU (Rayo Vallecano | Spain, 15/1), Christian MANEA (CFR Cluj, 24/2), Vasile MOHOSH (CFR Cluj, 4/0), Andrey BURTS (Al-Ohdud | Saudi Arabia, 25/1), Radu DRGUSHIN (Tottenham | England, 13/0), Adrian RUS (Paphos | Cyprus, 19/1), Jonuts NEDELTSYARU (Palermo | Italy, 25/2), Bohdan RATSOVYAN (Rakiv | Poland, 0/0), Nikusor BANKU (University of Craiova, 34/2), Deyan SORESKU (Gaziantep | Turkey, 14/0);

midfielders

Nikolae STANKIU (Damak | Saudi Arabia, 66/14), Marius MARIN (Pisa | Italy, 15/0), Alexandru CIKALDU (Konyaspor | Turkey, 35/4), Rezvan MARIN (Empoli | Italy, 52/3), Olimpiu MORUCAN (Ankaraguju | Turkey, 14/1), Darius OLARU (FCSB, 15/0), Adrian SHUT (FCSB, 0/0), Dennis MANN (Parma | Italy, 20/6), Valentin MIKHIL (Parma | Italy, 17/4), Yanis HAGI (Deportivo Alaves | Spain, 31/4), Denys DRUGUSH (Gaziantep | Turkey, 8/2), Florinel KOMAN (FCSB, 12/1);

ATTACKERS

George PUSHKASH (Bari | Italy, 40/11), Denis ALIBEK (Muayter | Qatar, 36/5), Florin TANAS (Al-Ohdud | Saudi Arabia, 17/2).

Before participating in EURO 2024, Romania will play two friendly matches in June, both in Bucharest at the Steaua Stadium: on Tuesday, June 4, against Bulgaria and on Saturday, June 8, against the national team of Liechtenstein.

>> Romania’s opponents at Euro 2024 – draw value and most dangerous players

Romania’s matches at Euro-2024

Romania – Play-off B (June 17, Munich, 16:00)

Belgium – Romania (June 22, Cologne, 22:00)

Slovakia – Romania (June 26, Frankfurt, 19:00)

>> Cities where Romania will play in the Euro 2024 final tournament in Germany

Groups of the Euro-2024 final tournament

Group A: Germany, Hungary, Scotland, Switzerland

Group B: Spain, Albania, Croatia, Italy

Group C: England, Denmark, Slovenia, Serbia

Group D: France, Austria, Netherlands, play-off A (Wales – Poland)

Group E: Belgium, RomaniaSlovakia, playoff B (Ukraine – Iceland)

Group F: Portugal, Turkey, Czech Republic, play-off C (Georgia – Greece).

How the playoff matches of the selection for Euro-2024 look like

Route A: Wales – Poland

Route B: Ukraine – Iceland

Route C: Georgia – Greece.

Know:

• The matches will take place on March 26, 2024 in one match.

• The winners of each playoff will qualify for Euro 2024.

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