Courtesy: UEFA.com


Portugal upbeat against wary Azerbaijan

Portugal's Jorge Braz struck a confident note ahead of Wednesday's Group D opener against their 2010 semi-final victims Azerbaijan, whose coach Alecio rued the absence of Biro Jade.

Tuesday 31 January 2012

by Nuno Tavares & Paul Saffer from Zagreb

Two years on from a nail-biting UEFA Futsal EURO semi-final, Portugal and Azerbaijan meet again to begin Group D in Zagreb on Wednesday.

That day in Debrecen, Portugal won on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw to reach their first final despite the absence from the tournament of star man Ricardinho, back in the squad this time. This time around Jorge Braz, Orlando Duarte's Portugal assistant in 2010 but now the head coach, is in determined mood, with no room for error in a pool also containing Serbia.

"The feeling before our first game is one of responsibility but above all a lot of calm because we know exactly what we have to do," Braz said. "We will be slightly focused on some of Azerbaijan's qualities but a lot more on our game. We have to worry about our potential and the way we play instead of looking at our opponents.

"We have several players who can score goals and we're not short of quality in that department. Besides that, this time we can call on Ricardinho, who is another player who can help us achieve our goals."

Alecio, who masterminded Azerbaijan's superb run on their finals debut in Hungary in 2010, is more wary. "Portugal are far from ideal opponents to face in our first match in a tournament like this but that's our reality and we will have to cope with it," he told UEFA.com. "We will face a very tough adversary. It's true that our last couple of matches were very even but this time they will be able to field Ricardinho and we will be without Biro Jade, a player who every coach likes to have because he thinks the game through and makes everyone around him a better player.

"I think this team is not as strong as the one who surprised everyone in 2010 and that has mainly to do with the fact several players left Araz Naxçivan after performing so well in Hungary. Almost all the players played together in the same club and that made all the difference in the national squad. This makes our mission even harder against Portugal but we'll give our best in order to, at least, get a draw.

"We have two games to achieve a win and I'm sure we will be able to pull that out. Who knows? Maybe we will repeat the run we had two years ago and reach the semi-finals once again. That would be really amazing."



Courtesy: UEFA.com


Debutants Turkey stand in Italy's way

With his team having gone through 2011 unbeaten, Roberto Menichelli is aiming to "continue the good work we did last year" when Italy begin against newcomers Turkey in Group C.

Tuesday 31 January 2012

by Wayne Harrison from Split

Unbeaten in 14 matches, Italy start their latest quest to regain the UEFA European Futsal Championship against finals debutants Turkey, striving to build on the momentum generated in a promising past 12 months.

The last country, other than Spain, to win the European crown, fully nine years ago, the Azzurri have not lost since a 4-1 defeat by the holders in December 2010. Unlike many of their fellow contenders, Italy have not contested any pre-tournament friendlies, with Turkey to be their first opponents since a successful FIFA Futsal World Cup main round campaign on home soil six weeks ago.

"Our aim is to continue all the good work we did last year," said coach Roberto Menichelli, whose side also face Russia in Group C. "In 2011 we played well without losing, from EURO qualification to the FIFA Futsal World Cup main round. We've also maintained a good position [third] in the FIFA rankings – that is cause for satisfaction."

Though Italy are one of the perennial favourites for the continental title, they arrived in Croatia with just seven of the players that helped them to the quarter-finals last time out in Hungary. As a result of this "tactical renewal process", Menichelli has been quick to play down his team's chances of lifting the trophy in Zagreb on 11 February.

"Only [Marcio] Forte, [Luca] Ippoliti and Saad [Assis], who plays with FC Barcelona, have international experience – the others are young players," he said. "We will try to play to the best of our abilities, taking it match by match and treating our opponents with care, starting with Turkey."

For Turkey, missing suspended Hüseyin Yýldýz, merely being in Split represents success – given they only played their first international in late 2006. "We are very happy to be here because our futsal history is short," enthused coach Ömer Kaner, a former Fenerbahçe SK striker. "Our history dates back five years and that we are here after that time, in a final tournament, is for us of course a good start."

Part of the sole side to progress all the way from the preliminary round, pivot Ýsmail Çelen cannot wait to get going on Wednesday. "We've trained a lot for the tournament and it's a privilege to be here," he said. "Italy and Russia will be great games for us and we'll play with our hearts. It's our first time in the finals and our history isn't so long, but it'll be a good experience. We're ready for this."




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