Since Sunday evening, György Mezey has not been able to say that he led the Hungarian national team to a major tournament. The calendar then showed May 14, 1985. A huge crowd of 80,000 people gathered in the Népstadion to celebrate unselfishly, as the team had already qualified for the World Cup in Mexico a month earlier by defeating the Austrians in Vienna, they welcomed the Dutch as a finale, and everyone was hoping for a gala match.
There was no gala, the Netherlands won 1-0, which did not affect anything, but the fans still could not digest the defeat, a regular demonstration took place in front of the Népstadion tower building, and they scolded the captain György Mezey and the players. When we recall this incident to the now 82-year-old professional, drawing a parallel with Sunday afternoon, where the national team also played at home after a relegation, and the people were hoping for a gala, he waved with a smile:
What happened to György Mezey?
– At the time, people’s reactions shocked me, but now I know with much more experience, I shouldn’t have been too pushy. The result can be anything in one of these matches, there is no such thing as a team that only shines and easily wins its matches, moreover, we have already reached the big goal, that is, getting to Mexico. Anyway, I didn’t even think of this incident on Sunday in the stands of the Puskás Arena, when Montenegro was still in the lead and our game was difficult. Then came the big turn, his second goal was met with a frenzied atmosphere in response, and when the ball ended up in the net, I must admit, I burst into tears.
IN THIS MATCH IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE HUNGARIAN SELECTION WILL BE IN MEXICO
Going back in time a few days, György Mezey, who twice worked as the national team captain of the Hungarian national team, said about the match in Sofia that it is extremely difficult to answer the question of what he would have said to the players a quarter of an hour before the end, when the Bulgarians they came to leadership. A goal had to be scored at all costs, and he, who introduced and managed UEFA coaching in Hungary for years, can only say that there is no answer to that. This cannot be taught, there is no well-proven, always-applicable recipe, the coach must listen to his instincts and decide, and then either it works or it doesn’t – that’s football.
It evokes the Puskás of Szoboszla
Speaking of the European Championship qualifiers, the first sentence is congratulations, which goes to many: the players, the members of the professional staff and the association itself, which provides a calm background for the work.
– In addition, you have to see, and I’m sure you see, that the squad and the team have to be changed a bit for the European Championship. The exchange of some players would be justified, but I don’t want to give specific tips, since every coach has his own vision and that must be respected.
At the same time, it will not be possible to count on Szoboszlai always shaking things up in Germany, more than that will be needed for a good performance. When we made it to the World Cup, I thought it was the end, but it soon became clear that it was just the beginning of a huge job.
It is very important that the national team’s preparation is well prepared, and therefore a lot of work has to be done. I have read opinions according to which the Hungarian national team is destined for a lot, and this can only be proven at the price of perfect preparatory work. Of course, I wasn’t afraid of Marco Rossi or his colleagues, so far they have always handled such issues perfectly.
Tags: national teams players Szoboszlais caliber
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