Our men’s Superliga side face another away fixture, with István Szabó’s team taking on FC Argeș in Mioveni on Friday. Once again, there was little time to prepare, but we set off after Thursday’s training session hoping to claim our first points of the season.

Our men’s Superliga side face another away fixture, with István Szabó’s team taking on FC Argeș in Mioveni on Friday. Once again, there was little time to prepare, but we set off after Thursday’s training session hoping to claim our first points of the season.

We have every reason to seek revenge against the Pitești-based side, who continue to play their home matches in Mioveni this season while construction of the “Eagles’” new stadium is already under way. The 2024–2025 season remains memorable, as we earned promotion to the top flight alongside an FC Argeș side that is still managed by Bogdan Andone. The club proved to be a strong force last season and reached the championship play-off, while we enjoyed little success against them. And what better time could there be to start picking up points against FC Argeș than now?

Our team began the new league campaign with two defeats, meaning a strong performance in Mioveni would be particularly important both in terms of results and morale.

At the pre-match press conference, head coach István Szabó pointed out that there had been extremely little time to prepare for the next fixture following Sunday’s match against FCSB.

“It has been a very short week, as we played on Sunday evening and will set off to face our next opponents immediately after Thursday’s training session. Certain phases of our work have to be left out in situations like this, so everyone needed to work extremely hard and stay fully focused throughout. I feel we have done everything that could be done in such a short period. Our main focus was on analysis and recovery. I am also very pleased that we have no injured players, which is certainly a positive sign in the longer term,” said our head coach.

According to István Szabó, FC Argeș demonstrated their key strengths last season: they are well organised, strong in duels and deliberately seek physical battles.

“We have analysed how they defend and attack, the transitions they use and their set pieces. The key to the match will be to remain disciplined and avoid falling behind in a way that would suit our opponents. I expect stability, quick combination play and fast decision-making from the team,” the coach emphasised.

Having been asked to fill several different positions last season, Lóránd Pászka has featured on the right-hand side in the opening two rounds of the current campaign. As he explained, however, helping the team is more important to him than the particular position he occupies on the pitch.

“I can play in several positions, which is an advantage for a footballer. Whether the coach uses me on the right, on the left or in midfield, my aim is to help the team to the best of my ability and ensure that the whole group benefits from my performance,” said our player.

Pászka believes the start of the season has not gone according to plan, but the team are ready to collect their first points in Mioveni.

“We did not start the league well, and we can feel that too. We are working together with the coaching staff to correct our mistakes as soon as possible and start picking up points. We are visiting an aggressive, physical team who look for duels, and we must be ready to compete in those battles. We know what awaits us and have prepared for our opponents. Now we have to do everything on the pitch to come away with one point or all three,” Lóránd Pászka stressed.

Mátyás Tajti brought fresh impetus to our play after coming on as a substitute against FCSB. He said he is feeling increasingly strong physically, but considers the team’s results far more important than any individual performance.

“Of course, I am not satisfied because we did not manage to win. I generally do not focus on my individual performance, because the three points are what matter most in professional football. Physically, however, I finally feel good again after a long period, and I was able to complete almost the entire pre-season programme. I hope I will be able to help the team more and more in the coming matches,” said our midfielder.

According to Tajti, it will take time to fully implement the new coaching staff’s ideas, but the team are moving in the right direction.

“We still need to improve in every area, and we are aware of that. A new coaching staff has arrived, and there has not yet been enough time for us to play exactly the kind of football they want to see. It is a longer process, and we need to improve both in and out of possession, but I feel we are on the right track. If we continue working like this, the results will come,” Mátyás Tajti added.

The FC Argeș–FK Csíkszereda match in the third round of the Superliga regular season kicks off at 6.30pm on Friday at Mioveni Municipal Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on Digi Sport 1 and Prima Sport 1.

Come on FK, come on Szereda, come on Szeklerland!

Rédai Attila
Photo: Pál Zoltán