| KEK: DO YOU KNOW WHO IS FAVOURITE? SO DO I
The head coach of the Slovenian national team
Matjaz Kek gave an interview to Sport Express prior to the first leg of
the World Cup-2010 play-offs in Moscow.
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Matjaz Kek Photo REUTERS
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The Slovenians started their preparation to the series with
Russia a day earlier than the Russian side that starts training today.
"I announced the squad quite late," said the Slovenian specialist.
"But that does not mean that we were thinking over other candidates."
"Our squad is the one we have. We do not plan any changes. All the
players have arrived at the training camp and we feel no need to call
up some other players."
"I do not want to discuss with the press our decision to cap three
goalies instead of usual two. That is our inner matter."
"All three keepers have already been capped for the national side
before so there is nothing extraordinary here."
"For our team the usual situation is when the players do not have
enough playing practice in their clubs [the same with Zhirkov and Pavlyuchenko
from Russia]."
"But I do not pay much attention to this - for the players arrive
for the training camp with an absolutely different mood. What is going
on in the club is not so important for me, more important is self-commitment."
"All players of our national squad play abroad so my assistants and
I have rather tight schedule for we have to travel a lot to watch the
matches we are interested in though it is not a big problem."
"As any coach I would like to spend more time with my players before
the matches. On the other hand in the recent months we have spend so much
time together and I do not think that a short preparation will somehow
tell on the play-offs series."
"Due to the modern communication means we have everything necessary
about the Russian team."
"Do you know who is the favourite in the coming matches? So do I.
It is Russia. On the other hand nobody can take away our desire to win
this opposition."
"Everybody knows that the Russian team is a high-quality team. And
I did not need to watch a big number of its games to understand it."
"I do not want to go into personals in our conversation. Whatever
people say your team is strong first of all with its team play. It is
senseless to pick out one man even Arshavin - there are too many good
players in your team."
"I do not want to speculate on the grandeur of the coach or the team
separately. The Russian national team is a tandem consisting of a great
coach and excellent team."
"I know that in Luzhniki the turf is artificial. I have never played
on such a ground before. But the pitch will be the same both for Russia
and for Slovenia. So I do not quite understand the significance of this
factor - it influences neither technical characteristics of the players
nor the team's cooperation."
"The goal of Slovenia is to show a high-class football in both fixtures
so that no viewer was left disappointed."
"If Russia wins the opposition on the football pitch I would be only
too happy and will be the first to congratulate them and wish good luck
in South Africa. But believe me not only you desire to participate in
the World Cup-2010."
Sport
Express Daily, 10 Nov 2009
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