Hungary coach Marco Rossi is relishing the ‘palpable euphoria’ following the 4-0 win away to England and explains why he had to leave Italy to get work. ‘It’s a nation of tacticians.’
The 57-year-old is surprisingly sitting at the top of the Nations League group after four matches with seven points, having beaten England home and away, drawn with Germany and lost 2-1 to Italy.
“Nobody had won in England with that kind of scoreline for over 60 years, when the golden Hungarian side won 6-3 at Wembley,” Rossi told Sky Sport Italia.
“There is a palpable euphoria in Budapest. Walking through the streets, you can sense the joy that we managed to give these people.”
Rossi is achieving remarkable things with Hungary, yet the former Torino, Brescia and Sampdoria player had to move abroad to get the opportunity to work.
In Italy, his only management roles were in the lower leagues with Lumezzane, Pro Patria, Spezia, Scafatese and Cavese.
Rossi even famously once said he practically had to pay clubs to get them to hire him.
“I wasn’t accusing Italian football, I always said that I didn’t get the opportunity at a higher level also because of my own personality issues. You need good relations with people to get that opportunity.
“I was fortunate enough in Hungary to get jobs at a high level without really knowing anyone. You don’t get noticed in Italy when you just about secure Serie C safety, because Italy is a nation of tacticians, every year new ones make the step up to Serie A.
“There’s no room for everyone, you have to look elsewhere.”
Rossi took the Hungary job in 2018 after successful spells at club sides Honved and Dunajska Streda, earning qualification for EURO 2020, as well as promotion from Nations League C to A.
Marco Rossi: «Euforia palpabile, in Italia non ho mai avuto la possibilità» https://t.co/IHxHloCdI6
— CalcioNews24.com (@CalcioNews24) June 15, 2022
My complements to Rossi, both games against England, his team looked sharp and hungry to score (excuse the pun) and his team looks very respectful to the opposition, meaning, they know technically they probably cant compete but are able to find ways to play with what works for them.
Hungary have been playing as a team more so than their opposition. That’s the biggest reason for their success.