The Israeli team will open tonight (Thursday, 19:00) the 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign, when it will host the strong Denmark team at Bloomfield Stadium as part of House 6. The team’s coach, Willy Rotensteiner, spoke at a press conference ahead of the meeting. The journey was broadcast live on the ONE website.
National team coach, Willy Rotensteiner, He said in his opening remarks: “The strongest team at home? If you look at the world rankings, this is Denmark because it is 12th place. Austria is also strong and of course Scotland as well. It is difficult to compare Austria and Denmark, but they are the leading teams at home and it is a great challenge for us to play against them. ”
Denmark’s biggest advantage: “From goalkeeper to striker, they have a lot of international experience, players who play in top clubs, but on the other hand it is a great motivation to play against such a team, and we will take this challenge.”
The problems in the defense of the team: “Even before I tried to improve the defense, also through videos, the discipline of the players is excellent, they told me they have a lot of motivation and see that they are interested. We try to use our time in group meetings to talk about tactics. I took them all and we tried to use the time to prepare as best we could in this respect. ”
Game plan – Will the team attack more or focus on defense: “I will not reveal the game plan of course, but the players must know what is being done on the pitch and what our goals are. We know Denmark well, we have analyzed it, and I think in all aspects of the game, we must know exactly how to go forward against them and in order to have a chance to win. I’m sorry, I will not be able to reveal the game plan. “
Did he decide who the captain would be when we were cut on the bench: “I have decided and we are ready for it, but it is not up for discussion at the moment. Our captain is Natcho and whether he is on the field or not, we have our decisions for who the film will be. That’s not the issue, the most important thing is that this team has one captain and that’s it. “
How to stop Eriksen and Braithwaite: “It is not worth talking about their individual quality. “Our organization is the most important thing, it will be an open game against Denmark, we know their qualities but do not compete with one player, we want to take this challenge, play against the team in 12th place in the world, it will be a big surprise if we take points against this team.” .
Does he know the internal balance between the teams: “If you take a bad statistic and present it to the players, it would not be wise. I concentrate on what we can take and do, we relate to the development of our team, do not know if it will be enough in front of them, but most importantly from the goalkeeper to the substitutes, we are 25 players, given everything and will not give up until the last whistle. We want to achieve a good result, I believe in the players and the team and I believe we can challenge them. “
This means that the game will be in front of 5,000 spectators: “Personally, I’m very happy, it’s good that they’re coming to support, and a lot of people have to watch on TV.
How to make the team home and “nightmare” rivalry: “Trying to prepare well, we created a good environment, everyone has great motivation, me too, the players are disciplined and we work a lot tactically, in training we trained well, I hope it will be a positive game for us and we can be in the game immediately, hope for some luck. That, but most importantly we will be one unit on offense and defense. We have quality and we can punish if they make a mistake. We will take the challenge in a good atmosphere. “
The fact that the team wants to control the games: “Can’t predict one hundred percent what will happen, I always tell players that they are tactically strong and they can move the ball, and if we control and the ball is with us, it is also a kind of defense. Our goal is not just to stay behind and give them the game. “With the ball Denmark is good, in theory you can stay behind and look for outbursts, but it is important that we create our philosophy.”
Captain of the team, Bibras Natcho, Said ahead of the game: “First game against the team maybe strongest at home, ranked very high in the rankings, I think it’s pretty clear to everyone that they are the favorites, but we’ll come, get ready, I think so far we have prepared well and will do our best to get points out of this game.
What should the team do differently in relation to previous campaigns: “We know we need to win more games, but of course it’s not easy, we are against a strong team and we are against others who are no less good than us. It is not an easy home, but we will come from game to game, with a desire and aspiration to win. We will have to do things almost perfectly because it is a big challenge in front of them, and I hope we can do it. “
Is he comfortable with the whispers around him about the role of captain, and is he aiming to stay at 11: “Only the coach will decide who will play, regarding the whispers nothing bothers me, I talked to the coach before it all started and everything is acceptable to both of us, I knew about all things before, it is an acceptable process, what matters is not Beavers Natcho or another player but we will be better and succeed” .
The fact that prominent players finished on the team without receiving respect: “If I did not think I could contribute I would not be here, in Israel a bit exaggerated with the issue of age, the two best players in the world will see what age they are, both in basketball and football, so leave the age, relate to what is happening on the field. There is a coach, he will choose. I get great respect from the players and the team and for me that is what is most important. “
Recent failures and whether this time will be something else: “It is possible to make a different result, but it is not simple and do not know if it will happen. “Everyone knows the problems of Israeli football, this is not something we will solve from one day to the next, we will come to the campaign to do the maximum and get as many points as possible, and if we are in a position to do something bigger, we will try to devour it.”
Dealing with Christian Eriksen: “I have played in the past with players at this level, of course he is a huge player, especially in his team, one of the greatest lately and he deserves all the respect, but if it is me or someone else, we will have to do our best to stop him and his teammates. We have the plan and we hope that things will work out properly and then we can stop it and get what we want. “
