Marco Rossi gave an exclusive interview to Discoveryfootball.com editor-in-chief Manos Staramopoulos

1- The current Hungarian national team seems to be going through a period of renaissance. Do you believe that the new generation of footballers can lead the national team into an era that will remind, even symbolically, of its great historical tradition?

"I think it was until before the European Championship that we played in 2024. We all had that kind of feeling after that of course and the European Championship was a bit disappointing because we were all convinced to go to the next step in the next round and it wasn't achieved because of a lot of, you know, situations that weren't identical, but overall despite the first half against Switzerland, we did well. And I think we deserved to go through. But this is worse. Then we played in the Nations League and also there we did overall not bad because we managed to keep Bosnia behind us who have now qualified leaving Italy out of the World Championship. Winning 1-0 and drawing 0-0. Then, we also had a draw against Germany, but above all against the Netherlands. If I'm not mistaken, Hungary in the last 10 games before, I don't know how many years, maybe 40 years, against the Netherlands always lost by more than four goals and we managed to get a draw. So, overall, we didn't just have bad feedback in this period. Of course, the situation that is more than anything else even now is what happened in the recovery seconds in the match against the Irish. That is something that is a point that no one could cancel. Also, because it was a shocking moment, which was dictated above all by what I think we showed in all six qualifying matches. We played six matches and in all six matches maybe excluding the second half against Armenia there, we showed a good style of football.

We scored two goals each time. Unfortunately, however, in the crucial moments, we made some mistakes and also, we have to say, we were not so lucky. We can simply think that we played three consecutive games against the Irish and in three completely different tactical situations. We conceded three goals in the seconds of extra time. Three times in a row. I have never seen anything like this before. I have never experienced anything like this. So I don't want to say that it was just bad luck or ATOC. But of course there is our own responsibility in this. We know this, we are working on it, we are analysing everything. But now we are starting from the beginning. Life goes on, we have to react to this. We cannot cry about our mistakes. We cannot complain. There is no more time for complaints.

There is only time to react. And I am sure that the children will react. We have, as we have mentioned many times, an absolutely top footballer. We have 5, 6 footballers, very good ones who play in the top leagues.

Then, for the rest, we have footballers who grow up in our Championship, someone who also participates in other foreign Championships, not in the right top leagues, but at least in some top clubs. So we have to be confident. The answer they give and the sign of improvement is clear, in my opinion. They still believe and follow our leadership, especially my leadership,

So, from this perspective, I think we could be positive about the future. Practically, we also answered the fourth question. But the third is that many people are talking about a new Hungarian football".

2- What are the characteristics that define this new identity? And how important is it for you to combine historical heritage with modern football thinking?

"I think it all starts with the characteristics of the players we have. Yes we have footballers who are flexible, have good technical skills, who can keep a good possession of the ball, stable and safe now compared to a few years ago. Much more options to control the match. We are missing footballers in some positions, for example the central striker is a position that is a bit crucial for them in football and I must say that in the years I have been a coach there have not been many options there so far, but we were able to fulfill our task, we find footballers in the past with Adi, who was the captain, now with Barney, of course behind them. It's always a bit complicated to find a substitute, but now for example in the last two matches, even for a few minutes, Dodo Baran gave us a good feeling above all for his style of play, for his attitude and for me it's important to play football because without trying to play a good style of football, but especially an ineffective one, it's impossible to achieve results, so what I can say is that maybe from now on and in the future we can focus more on a more vertical type of play. Because the style of play suits our characteristics well, we are fast footballers, we are very good at transitions, especially positive transitions but also negative ones. And I think you have to follow your decision about the system as well. It always matters the characteristics of the players, because everyone would like to play like, I don't know, Guardiola's first Barcelona played, keeping possession of the ball for 70 minutes on average, having, but of course. Also, Guardiola changed his style because he no longer has the same players. . I don't want to compare myself with him. I'm just giving an example because Guardiola is the main example for me in the modern era of football. Every coach has to adapt his ideas to the modern trends of football. Because of the trends in which the players are involved, they play in their leagues with their coaches, but of course without ever forgetting their characteristics.

3- International football is in a transitional period. How do you see the role of smaller or medium-sized teams? Can they challenge the dominance of the traditional big national teams?

“I think that today we have seen in many cases that nothing is easy, not even for the biggest team. So if you don’t arrive at every match with the right mental state, with the right attitude, you risk not playing well and also losing points. Of course, when the difference is very big, very huge, no. But, for example, in Europe. Talking about teams that play in the first division of the Nations League, others in the second division, or even in the third for some national team . That is the picture. Of course, if Germany or England or Spain are going to play against Malta or Liechtenstein or something like that smaller... Even if Malta is improving as well. But of course, between the top teams, and the lowest in the table, it is not possible, there is no competition of course. But, for example, between a top, top team, and a mediocre one we can say like us, if they don't do everything at the best possible level, they risk losing or losing points. And we showed, we told you, in the qualifiers against Portugal, in the end Portugal won at home, 3-2, but there we got a draw 2-2. And I have to say that for many, many moments in the match, here and there, we played almost at the same level. So, in that respect, I think the two matches we played against Portugal showed that we did very well against them. Of course, the result could have been better, especially at home. But we have to, we have to, we all agree on the fact that Portugal is Portugal. Okay, let's go to the UEFA Champions League. The most exciting phase is always in the spring".

4- Which teams do you think have the characteristics to reach the top of the competition?

"I mean, semi-final or final, obviously. Now I don't remember what kind, but of course, we saw that Liverpool played against Paris Saint-Germain where we had "two of our own boys" Dominic and Milos. I would have liked to see them in the final, but they didn't make it. Bayern Munich after the 5-4 away defeat to Paris I think are the favorites. I think in the end it's always the strongest who reach the top. . So there are no surprises in that regard, also because they are also the clubs that are currently the strongest and could invest much more money than others in football. That's why in the end the names of the finalists will always be more or less the same".

5- If we look at the next World Cup, which national teams do you think are the ones with the best chance of winning the title?

“To win the World Cup, I think the favourite is still Argentina. They have fantastic players, not so young, and some very young. Really very interesting. If you look at the qualifiers there in South America, both Brazil and Argentina, also Brazil in every tournament should be included in the favourites. But if you look at their qualifiers, they were not that great. So, they showed some problems, but of course when you start playing matches like the World Cup, everything will change and will change.”



Yamal and the mentality

6- In an era when football is constantly looking for new protagonists, do you think that Lamine Yamal can develop into a figure who will dominate world football in the coming years?

"Watching these characteristics, these skills, I think it's possible. It's absolutely possible. He's a footballer who could make the difference at any moment of the match, through assists, through goals, . through his skills, but I don't know if in the long term he could maintain these exceptional performances, a lot depends on his lifestyle, watching of course I don't know the type, I don't know what kind of mentality or personality he has, but watching and reading all the news about international news. A footballer who likes to enjoy life. And that's something that if you want to maintain your level for a long time, you can't allow. And Ronaldo, in that respect, is a huge example for everyone. Because Ronaldo was blessed by God, for sure. But, to play at this level, at the age of 40, to make the difference, playing for the Portuguese national team. It's something that should be taken as an example for every footballer. And I'm talking about a footballer that I don't know personally, but he should be, in my opinion, he should be an example for everyone in the world of football.

7- Many people wonder whether the new generation of footballers can find a leader who can stand up to the era of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. Do you think football is heading towards a new era of great personalities or a period where collectiveness will matter more than individual brilliance?

“I think in football, of course, which is a team sport, the collective is more important in the long run to achieve results as a team. With the national team or with your club, but of course all teams are made of individuals. You can achieve big, big results, top results, only if you have these individuals playing together and matching well with each other. So the example of the big star showing the way will, in my opinion, always be crucial.”

8- What do you think as a coach who has already worked in different countries, clubs and different environments, which element will be more decisive when it comes to national teams?

"The talent of the individual players or the cohesion of the team or the mental strength of the team? Both, absolutely both because you cannot achieve results, of course, a goal that could be achieved with your team if you lose one of the two. If you do not have enough individual skills or if you are just a group of individuals without being united. That is why I think we always rely on our motto, Chuck Hedgett. I think that is the key to winning, to achieving results. Which is only together in English. Only together in English. And it is the only way you have. But I think not only in football, not only in team sports in general. If you think of success as being enough for yourself and if you think that you don't need anyone else around you and you can achieve whatever you want because you are you and others are nothing, you are on the wrong path".

9- And the last question is that looking ahead, what is your vision for the Hungarian national team in the coming years? Where would you like to see this team reach on the European and world football map?

"I think this is a difficult time to talk about it because we were recently eliminated from the playoffs. So it is not easy to... make predictions for the future. But of course, our goal is to play a good Nations League now, to be able to return to the top division. It is possible, directly or through the playoffs, we will see. Then, the other goal is to participate in the European Championship. But what everyone is working on is to improve so much that we can be in the next World Cup. There are so many matches, so many years from now, I mean, four years from now. The road is so long. In football, you can never make long-term plans. But if I have to say that I am pessimistic about the future, I am not. I'm sure we can improve. We have room for improvement in some areas of our national team and I hope so, but I really believe that we will be able to improve the details that we need to achieve our goals"