Two defeats and one victory — this is the record of FK Csíkszereda’s preparation matches during their training camp in Austria. We evaluate the results of the camp with head coach Róbert Ilyés.

Two defeats and one victory — this is the record of FK Csíkszereda’s preparation matches during their training camp in Austria. The Szekler footballers faced three Hungarian first-division teams, traveling hundreds of kilometers for these matches: they played in Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia. When there was no match, they prepared for the Superliga kick-off with two tough training sessions a day. We evaluate the results of the camp with head coach Róbert Ilyés.

– With the match against MTK, the Austrian training camp has concluded. What conclusions can be drawn?
– As far as I’m concerned, we played quite useful matches, and there were positive and negative things with the team. I think, since new players have joined the squad, there are still some aspects to polish. There are a few things I’m not yet satisfied with, but we still have a week until the league starts, and I hope we can analyze and fix them.

– How have the new players integrated so far, what have they shown you?
– It’s well known that when someone changes teams, they want to prove themselves to the new coach. That’s what happened now as well — everything is fine with the guys, they integrated well, were well-received by the others, they already had friends in the team, so there was no problem. What they need to understand as soon as possible is the team’s structure and tactics, the style of football we play — but that’s what we coaches are here for, and I hope we’ll succeed with that soon.

– Do you already have a starting eleven in mind, or is it still too early?
– We can’t really talk about a stable starting team yet because the season will be very long. At the moment, I don’t know who I’ll start with in the first round. The boys have to prove themselves day by day, week by week, to convince me, and one or two days before the match it will become clear in my mind who I’ll count on. But as I said, the league is long, so I’ll need everyone.

– Right in the first round, we face a strong opponent, Dinamo Bucharest. What are your thoughts on this clash a week and a half ahead?
– Our matches against Dinamo, as well as FCSB, Rapid, CFR, will all be equally tough. But I’m happy that we’re starting at home, and I hope that at our very first first-division match in history we’ll have a few thousand supporters behind us. The late evening kick-off can help us avoid the hot weather we faced here in the camp. I think everyone will be motivated, and everyone is aiming to beat Dinamo in our first match.

Rédai Attila