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Tenacious tactician Victor Piturca hopes to take Romania
to success at Euro 2008
BUCHAREST, Romania: As one of Romania's all-time great strikers, Victor
Piturca scored hundreds of goals.
Now, the tall, brooding coach has a chance to reach an even bigger goal
at next month's European Championship - if he can manage to get Romania
through a tough group that includes the Netherlands and World Cup finalists
Italy and France.
Piturca, who turned 53 on Thursday, has been called tenacious, stubborn,
disciplined and dour. In qualifying for Euro 2008, however, the coach
was nearly perfect, leading Romania to the top if its group ahead of the
Netherlands with a 9-2-1 record.
"Piturca is an ideal coach for Romania," nationally respected
soccer commentator Ilie Dobre said.
A native of the southern Romanian region of Olt famed for producing ambitious
and proud people, Piturca lacks the quirkiness of former coach Anghel
Iordanescu, who prepared for each important match by kissing Orthodox
icons.
But what Piturca lacks in frills and gimmicks he makes up for in his quiet
determination to get good results.
After holding the Netherlands to a 0-0 draw in Rotterdam in Euro 2008
qualifying, Piturca said: "Holland didn't play well today because
we didn't let them."
Romania also beat the Dutch team 1-0 at home.
Piturca, who relies on discipline to build a strong team, has also gained
respect for not giving preferential treatment to star players. He dropped
flamboyant striker Adrian Mutu from a friendly at Spain in November 2006
because the player was busy with his daughter's christening.
"I want my players to be 100 percent focused," said Piturca,
whose team went on to win 1-0.
Piturca began playing soccer when he was 14, and he retired in 1990 after
a 20-year career in which he helped Steaua Bucharest win the 1986 European
Cup. He also played for French team Lens and FC Scornicesti, the home
team of former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.
Piturca went into coaching shortly after he retired, and he first got
the national team coaching job in 1999. Despite qualifying for Euro 2000,
Piturca was fired after a dispute with star players Gheorghe Hagi and
Gheorghe Popescu.
He took over again in 2004 and has built the team into a solid unit that
opponents can't take lightly.
Although few believe the team will advance from its Euro 2008 group, Dobre
used a common Romanian expression to describe his belief that anything
is possible.
"The ball is round," he said.
International
Herald Tribune, May 10, 2008
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