Courtesy: UEFA.com


Skorovich offers Slovenia some hope

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Match preview by Jim Wirth from Budapest

Few would back inexperienced Slovenia to take much from their opening UEFA European Futsal Championship game against Russia, but the latter's coach Sergei Skorovich insisted: "What does being in Budapest favourites mean in futsal? Not much."

Frightening statistics
Winners in 1999, runners-up in 2005 and bronze medalists in the 2007 finals, Russia go into the Group C opener with a fearsome reputation, and have beaten Slovenia in all four of their previous meetings – most recently 2-0 in qualifying last March. The 36-year-old Skorovich, however, feels reputations count for little once the game is under way.

Canny coach
"What does being favourites mean in futsal? Not much," said Skorovich, in his first finals as Russia coach. "You can't take too much notice of who is higher in the rankings table, as in the end it's two teams on the pitch. We take Slovenia very seriously and will play them as if they were the best team in the world. This is a well-organised, disciplined team which defends well and waits for their chance on the counter."

'Big tasks'
Russia go into the opening game with one small regret, the absence of defender Dmitri Prudnikov with a recurring ankle injury. "It is a shame Prudnikov is injured, but we brought 14 players and we will be relying on each of them," said Skorovich.

Absent stars
Slovenia coach Andrej Dobovicnik, meanwhile, must face Russia without the suspended Sinisa Brkic, but even greater damage was done before the start of the tournament, with injuries robbing him of regulars Gasper Vrhovec and Rok Mordej. "Of course Brkic will be missed in the first match but the other players have been preparing well," he said. "The biggest problem is that we lost two very good players in the last month.

Cirilo menace
"Our league is an amateur league so we cannot compare with the Russia because they have professional players," added the coach, while captain Benjamin Melink was more preoccupied with the challenge of tangling with the joint top scorer in the 2007 finals. "Cirilo is one of the best players in the world and we know his class so we will not give him much space," said the 27-year-old. "If our defence works together well we will do all we can to stop him."

Hope undiminished
However, regardless of the challenges they face, with Serbia also in the group, Slovenia will not be going into the game half beaten. Dobovicnik said: "None of the teams are useless so we will see how we stand after the first two matches. We don't expect to reach the final but we will try. With the new competition format, winning one match gets you to the next stage, so a small group is better than a bigger group for us."



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Belarus in at the deep end against Spain

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Match preview by Paul Saffer from Debrecen

Spain begin their bid for a third straight UEFA European Futsal Championship title against first-time qualifiers Belarus in Debrecen on Wednesday with the holders' coach José Venancio López warning that their novice opponents will play "the match of their lives".

Contrast
These nations have never met but with Spain having won two FIFA Futsal World Cups and four European titles, while Belarus are making their bow in a major tournament, it is clear that Venancio López's side are favourites to strike first in Group D, which also contains Portugal. However, while Spain won all of their 15 fixtures in 2009 and have not lost over 40 minutes for four years, Venancio López knows danger could lurk.

'Their final'
"In principle, we are favourites, but we know well about the difficulty of any final tournament match," Venancio López said. "For Belarus, it is the match of their lives. It is their final. They have improved a lot in recent years and we have to congratulate them on their qualification. Their work has finally paid off. In World Cup qualification they even managed to draw 1-1 against Russia, which shows their potential. Nevertheless, experience could be a decisive factor."

Injuries
By his own admission, Venancio López's preparations were hampered by injuries to Álvaro, Fernandao, Daniel, Jordi Torrás, Kike and Juanra, but the coach said: "We hope that they will be able to perform well even if they are not at their top level. All the players are now fit, it is just that some of them are not at the top of their form."

Belarus depleted
Belarus have had arguably even bigger problems coming into the finals as 2008/09 player of the year Vadim Lushkovski misses the tournament following appendicitis surgery and Ilya Gurin, Eduard Bobrov and Vladimir Zhdanovich have also been ruled out injured. They tested themselves in preparations by playing Spain's fellow 2008 World Cup semi-finalists Brazil, Italy and Russia, losing all those games but gaining valuable experience.

'No weak points'
Coach Valeri Dosko said: "Spain are the most titled team here and the most experienced. They almost have no weak points." As for their approach, he added: "If we succeed on the counterattack, play tight without making mistakes in defence, and also have huge luck, then we will have the chance of beating Spain. With all respect to other nations, Spain are clear favourites. If we beat them, then we will become European champions!"



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Feller wary of Belgian underdogs' bite

Tuesday 19 January 2010

by Paul Saffer from Debrecen

Italy captain Alexandre Feller and Belgium skipper Karim Bachar will come together to shake hands before their sides' opening UEFA European Futsal Championship fixture in Debrecen on Tuesday, but their experiences of this tournament are certainly contrasting.

Belgium return
Goalkeeper Feller, 38, helped Italy to the semi-finals in his 2005 bow and finished runners-up two years later – his side are contenders to go one better in Hungary. The 34-year-old Bachar has also appeared in two final tournaments, in 1999 and 2003, but both ended with Belgium securing just a single point. They have taken three attempts to seal a return. "We are very glad to be here as it's no longer simple to qualify for a championship like this," Bachar said. "Now we are here and we'll see what we can do. We are going to try our best."

Respect
On paper the Azzurri are clear favourites to win the Group B curtain-raiser, but Feller is cautious. "The game against Belgium is difficult, like any opening fixture in the European Championship. It's the most important in setting the tone of your tournament," the Marca Futsal goalkeeper said. "Belgium did very well in qualifying; we have the maximum respect for them but we'll try to do well like in the other European Championships."

'Nothing to lose'
Indeed, Italy have never lost a group game. By contrast, Belgium are yet to taste victory but their squad are in boisterous spirit, and Futsal Topsport Antwerpen player Bachar added: "Our strongest quality is that we have nothing to lose. Each minute we can play here, everyone will give 100%. Italy are favourites the group along with Ukraine, so we have nothing to lose and that's the hardest thing for them. But everyone knows Italy have a great team with a lot of very experienced players. They have new players but they will be motivated to do better than the players that have gone."

Hard work
That process of renewal was confirmed by Feller. "We are evolving. The coach is trying to bring in young players with great abilities and we, the more experienced players, are trying to help him. We have a strong, compact and united group: I'm sure Italy's strength in this European Championship will be team spirit. We will be a hard-working team."




Courtesy: UEFA.com


Ukraine and Portugal happy to be patient

Tuesday 19 January 2010

by Paul Saffer from Debrecen

The expansion of the UEFA European Futsal Championship finals from eight teams to 12 has meant, paradoxically, a reduction in the size of the groups – three in each of four sections rather than two pools of four.

Delayed start
An upshot of this is that four sides are sitting out the opening set of matches on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Czech Republic and Ukraine do not start their campaigns until Thursday while Serbia and Portugal kick off a day later, by which time some teams will already have played twice and could mathematically be through to the quarter-finals or eliminated.

Lysenchuk happy
So are those teams happy to be waiting to get going? Ukraine coach Gennadiy Lysenchuk, who will be looking on when Group B rivals Italy and Belgium meet in Debrecen on Tuesday night, is clear. "We start last in our group and if I had had an opportunity, I wouldn't change that," he said. "We have a chance to watch our opponents. If this is a benefit, we will know after our second game in the group."

'Advantage'
Portugal, meanwhile, are the last of the 12 teams to begin their campaign, facing Belarus in Group D in Debrecen on Friday night, in contrast to the 2007 finals when as hosts Orlando Duarte's side were involved in the opening match against Italy in Porto. Belarus play Spain on Wednesday, and Duarte said: "We the coaches have already seen about seven videos of Belarus and the players have watched them twice. We've edited the video to show the players to express the main points of their way of playing. But it's good for us to be able to see them at the beginning of the competition, that is an advantage."

Extra pressure
Captain Arnaldo is less sure. "It could be good as we have an extra chance to analyse them but then the pressure and anxiety ahead of the tournament will increase and when Belarus play us they will have a match under their belts."


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