Courtesy: UEFA.com


Russia and Italy lose key men

Monday 18 January 2010

Two leading challengers to holders Spain at the UEFA European Futsal Championship have suffered injury blows with Russia defender Dmitri Prudnikov and Italy's Edgar Bertoni ruled out from the the finals in Hungary.

Prudnikov problem
MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg defender Prudnikov, who starred in Russia's 2008 UEFA Under-21 European Futsal Tournament victory, has been struggling with an ankle injury since last spring and after attending the pre-finals training camp in Moscow was deemed unfit for the finals. Russia coach Sergei Skorovich will have only 13 players to pick from as they prepare to open their Group C campaign against Slovenia on Wednesday in Budapest.

Bertoni out
The day before, 2007 runners-up Italy meet Belgium in Group B in Debrecen but 28-year-old Marca Futsal player Bertoni, who has scored 41 goals in 89 appearances, will not be involved. Bertoni suffered a right calf strain in training on Saturday and after a scan was left out of their squad.


Courtesy: UEFA.com


Injury-hit Spain up for the challenge

Monday 18 January 2010

by Álvaro Macho

Spain kick off the defence of their UEFA European Futsal Championship title on Wednesday against Belarus in Debrecen but coach José Venancio Lopez, who took over on the eve of their fourth continental triumph in 2007, is concerned that his side are not "in peak physical condition" after of the finals in Hungary, with Portugal also in Group D. He spoke to uefa.com about their chances and the challenge of motivating a group of players who have already won everything there is to win in the sport.

uefa.com: Here we are ahead of another European challenge for Spain and the demands – as ever – are high with victory the goal. What frame of mind are the team in?
José Venancio Lopez: We would have liked to have had all of our players in peak physical condition but unfortunately that's not the case. We have several players who haven't been training because of problems. Álvaro and Fernandao along with Kike are carrying muscular complaints. Daniel Ibañes has a knock to his right knee and Jordi Torrás has a heel injury so you see we haven't been able to work as we'd have ideally liked to.


uefa.com: You are working with a group of players who have won everything in the world of futsal. Is it therefore important that you pay some attention to the motivational side of things?
Venancio Lopez: In high-level competition motivation is fundamental. It's true that we are working with winners but this represents the competitive nature of the national team. By this I mean that we have players who are transformed ahead of these tournaments and that's what has helped Spain to be four-time European champions and twice on a world level. For a coach like me motivating these players is the easy part because it is they themselves who bring the winning mentality. What I must try to do is make sure the players are in good physical condition and emotionally correct.


uefa.com: How do you assess Group D with Portugal and Belarus in there?
Venancio Lopez: Theoretically Belarus are the weakest side and are a team we must beat. Portugal and Spain are expected to get out of the group and there will be a great match in the third round of fixtures when these teams meet to battle it out for first place; the outcome will be crucial in terms of who plays who in the next phase.


uefa.com: What would you say are the strong points of your team?
Venancio Lopez: The competitive edge we have in the big games. These players are desperate to play in the big championships and that's one of the key factors. Another of our strong points is without doubt the tactical work we put in. This helps us to deal with any situation that can arise in any given game.


uefa.com: How have the new faces adapted into what was already a close-knit group?
Venancio Lopez: Little by little we've been introducing new players. We are in a stage of maturity as far as the team is concerned but we've been able to put in a young face here and there in order to freshen things up a little.




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Returning Ippoliti aims for repeat win

Monday 18 January 2010

by Francesco Corda from Debrecen

While Italy's 2003 UEFA European Futsal Championship-winning squad had a Brazilian tinge, former AS Roma youth footballer Luca Ippoliti indeed hailed from the capital. He then disappeared from the squad, but in October he made his comeback and is aiming for a repeat triumph when the finals begin on Tuesday in Hungary.

Comeback
Ippoliti was 23 when Italy took the title on home soil seven years ago but he was subsequently absent from Alessandro Nuccorini's selection. Things changed a last year when Roberto Menichelli succeeded Nuccorini as coach and on 27 October the TSC Lazio captain played in the friendly against Belarus for only his 15th cap.

Pride
"When Roberto arrived, I hoped to be recalled," Ippoliti told uefa.com. "There was mutual understanding and a reconciliation, about which I'm obviously very happy. It is for sure a great satisfaction to come back to the national team; it demonstrates that I wasn't out of the squad because I didn't deserve it but for other reasons. The vote of confidence received from the coach makes me very proud and I hope to repay it."

Experience
On Tuesday, Ippoliti is set to make his first appearance in a European Championship game since the 2-1 2003 semi-final defeat of Spain – he missed the final against Ukraine through illness - when Italy take on Belgium in their Group B opener in Debrecen, and the 30-year-old knows many eyes are upon him. "After many years of absence, it is natural that everybody looks to my return and that I must demonstrate something," he said. "Since the 2003 European Championship, I have acquired experience, I have matured with all the championships and the competitions I have played. I expect to play at top level at the European Championship, the most important thing for me is to exit from the pitch with my shirt dripping with sweat after giving my all."

Memories
Italy's 2003 triumph was their breakthrough in the sport; since then they have been runners-up to Spain in the 2004 FIFA Futsal World Cup and 2007 EURO, and they also took bronze in the 2008 global event. "When we won the European Championship we formed a great squad," Ippoliti said. "I don't know how it happened, since the national team gatherings lasted just a few days, but we were stronger than any opponents we met. All of us on the pitch were ready to sacrifice ourselves for the team."

Winning mentality
Whereas previous finals have begun with two groups of four teams, in the extended 12-strong competition, each section has only three nations. "With this formula you are not allowed to make mistakes," Ippoliti said. "Belgium and Ukraine must be faced with concentration and courage, also because we will have many young players in our team." But his aim is to lift the trophy on 29 January, and appear in the final after missing out in 2003. "You always have to aim to win," he added. "You must have a winning mentality, we can't come to Hungary thinking for example that second place would be our best possible result. We will try to go all the way."





Courtesy: UEFA.com


uefa.com's guide to futsal

Monday 18 January 2010

by Paul Saffer

Professional futsal is still a young game compared to its eleven-a-side parent; the tactics are evolving all the time.

Speed
Speed is a theme in futsal, as with such a small pitch, no one has long to dwell on the ball. Equally players have to move fast if they are to find space to receive passes, not least as the ball tends to stay on the ground. Futsal is widely played in Brazil by children before they concentrate on football, and the likes of Ronaldinho and Deco attribute much of their world-class technique to their grounding in the small-sided game. "I play futsal and it has helped a lot," Deco told uefa.com. "I played from the age of nine until I was 16 when I had to stop to go on with my football career. It improves my speed and dribbling skills."

Fast moves
Goals generally come from swift moves, often involving lightning exchanges of passes, as the goal is small and a defence given time to regroup at the top level will usually be able to keep opponents at bay. The majority of goals at the very highest level are scored inside the area. Fouls can also be costly because of the danger of giving away a free-kick without the protection of a wall for offending more than five times in a half.

Tactics
Coaches are able to make as many substitutions as they like, with higher-tempo teams, like Russian sides, tending to swap players more, even all four outfielders at once. Teams may utilise a single tactical system, be it a pressing game or a more defensive counterattacking strategy, but the astute use of player rotation can allow a coach several formations depending on the match. There is also the traditional ending to a tight game when a coach whose team is losing narrowly can take off his goalkeeper and use a fifth outfield player.

Formations
Formations are more fluid than in football, especially with the success in recent years of the '4-0' system which has grown in popularity due to its use by the exceptional Spanish national side. Also widely used is the 3-1, which relies on a 'pivot' forward to hold the ball after being cleared by the defence, 2-2 – where the players stay close together at all times – or the winger-utilising 1-2-1. It is a boon for teams to be able to switch to several different formations in varying match situations.

Defending
Over the last few years a zonal marking system has been superseded by man-to-man tactics, which was applauded by FIFA's technical experts in 2004 as a more dynamic ploy. As in most sports, though, the most important factor is the individual technique and ability of players, hence the popularity of Brazilians in the European leagues. Futsal is also being promoted in nations where it has not yet taken off, such as England and France, as a useful tool for honing football skills.



Posted by Luca Ranocchiari --> luca.ranocchiari@futsalplanet.com