Romania coach Victor Piţurcă will have unfinished business on his mind when the UEFA EURO 2008™ draw is made on Sunday. Eight years ago he had his nation through qualifying unbeaten only to lose his job before the finals due to a disagreement with leading players Gheorghe Hagi and Gheorghe Popescu. Piţurcă returned to the role in 2004, and now Romania are contemplating their first final tournament since then.
'Honour'
The studious and publicity-shy Piţurcă is happier analysing videotapes than appearing on chat shows, so it is hardly surprising he is self-effacing when looking back. "It was a long time ago," Piţurcă told uefa.com. "It wouldn't make sense to speak again about this." But finishing top of Group G this time, ahead of the Netherlands and Bulgaria, is a topic of conversation he enjoys. "I am proud of having achieved this qualification and that it was again me as coach who achieved it," he said. "And of course I am looking forward to showing what we can during the final tournament. It's an honour to be Romania's national coach and to be present at such a final tournament."
Collective approach
Piţurcă, who also led Romania to the 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals, masterminded nine wins in this qualifying campaign, including a first defeat of the Netherlands. Their 29-point total was only bettered by holders Greece, the sole loss coming against Bulgaria with a top-two finish already assured. There was also a 1-0 friendly win in Spain. The players have spoken about their unity under the 51-year-old, who as a striker played a significant role in helping FC Steaua Bucureşti win the 1986 European Champions' Club Cup and a continental record 104-match unbeaten league run. Piturca confirmed his collective approach when the Romanian media suggested the team was overly dependent on Adrian Mutu. "The national team doesn't rely on any individual," he said. "Our main strength is the unity of the squad and everybody is important in this team."
Long preparation
He is delighted with the approach of his players, having so narrowly missed out on the 2006 FIFA World Cup play-offs two points behind the Czech Republic in a group won easily by the Netherlands. "They treated all the qualifying matches with the highest responsibility and with the highest commitment and this is also one of the reasons why we qualified," he said. "I had the advantage of starting my second spell during World Cup qualifying. There were some matches in which I had the opportunity to learn about the players and what had to be done. After we lost twice against the Netherlands we then managed to beat the Czech Republic 2-0, with several new players in the starting eleven. And even though we did not qualify for the World Cup, this victory was a fantastic new start for our national team. It was also the start of a very good period."
Simple football
In fact, only four games have been lost in Piţurcă's 32-match second spell, including a 14-fixture undefeated run up to September's reverse against Germany. And their play has been marked by the discipline that is Piţurcă's signature, the coach mastering every detail, no matter how small. "At this level, discipline and detailed planning are something you have to have," he said. The players have responded to his tactical plan of simple football and quick passes, not to mention two holding midfielders in front of the defensive line, a meticulous style that reflects his personality. No matter how important Mutu truly is to the team, he is certainly a reborn strike under Piţurcă, claiming six goals in qualifying and proving the creative heart of the team.
Greek example
The only downside for Piţurcă was that they could not come through qualifying without defeat, but the quality of their play has the coach dreaming of something big in Austria and Switzerland. "Better teams than Romania have qualified for the final tournament," he said. "But also we have our skills and our own reasons that we can achieve something big, like Greece achieved at [UEFA] EURO 2004™. At this level anything is possible."
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