In the 1st round of Euro 2024 in Group E the teams of Romania and Ukraine will play. The arrival of the Romanians to the final phase of the European Championship can be considered a surprise: they were not expected there. The national team of this country missed Euro 2020 and Euro 2012, and at Euro 2016 they finished last in the group with a single point, even behind Albania. The current Romanian team seems from another planet if we compare it with the one from 30 years ago. And this planet is much further from the sun than that: in the 1994 World Cup, the team led by Angel Yordenescu surprised the world by winning the group, defeating Argentina in the playoffs and being eliminated only in the quarterfinals on penalties.
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Who is the coach of the Romanian national team?
The head of the Romanian national team is… Yordenescu. Don’t faint: It’s not the 74-year-old angel who suddenly decided to throw away the old days. He retired in 2016 and his last place of employment was the national team. In fact, with him, the Romanians went to their previous Euro Cup, where they could only draw with Switzerland. For the good of the national team, Yordenescu interrupted his sabbatical year, which lasted eight years, in 2014. But even such a qualified specialist could not restore his former strength to the team.
It turns out that Angel has a son and has also become a serious coach. The Romanian team returned to the big tournament thanks to 46-year-old Eduard Yordenescu. At the end of 2023, for the first time in his career, he was recognized as the country’s coach of the year, an award for success with the national team.
Unlike his father, who played 57 matches for the Romanian national team, Eduard did not become an outstanding footballer. He played as a midfielder, changed eight clubs during his career and was nowhere spectacular. At the same time, he played in Greece with Panionios and in Cyprus with Alki.
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Yordenescu began his coaching career in 2010 as an assistant at Steaua. He then worked with lesser-known Romanian teams and in 2016 he was invited to CSKA Sofia. However, he stayed in Bulgaria only three months: he received the army team in third place, but left it in fifth place. He then worked only in Romania. In 2018, he swapped the desert for Cluj and managed the CFR club, a big local football club. With this team he achieved his first important success: winning the country’s Super Cup. But due to disagreements with the CFR owner, Yordenescu resigned after three matches. However, in 2020, Edward returned and won his first career championship title in the 2020/2021 season and another National Super Cup.
In August 2021, Yordenescu became director of FCSB, the former Steaua. However, already in Bucharest he fell out with the club’s owner, Gigi Becali, and three months later he was fired. And in January 2022 he was called up to the Romanian national team. This is the highlight of Eduard Yordenescu’s career so far.
Eduard Yordenescu
Photo: Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images
Romania’s path to Euro 2024
At first, Yordenescu did not do well in the Romanian national team. He started with the national team with five defeats in seven friendlies and Nations League matches. But with the start of qualification for Euro 2024, the Romanians changed under him. The qualifying group was not the worst: Switzerland, Israel, Belarus, Kosovo, Andorra. But for the Romanian team these rivals (with the possible exception of the Andorrans) are not easy.
However, Yordenescu’s team went through the cycle without a single defeat: six wins and four draws. Along the way they did not lose against Switzerland, the group’s favorite, and achieved an incredible comeback: in the 90th minute they lost 0-2, but in the end Valentin Mihaile scored a double. At home, the Romanians defeated the Swiss 1-0 thanks to Denis Alibek’s goal.
In four friendly matches before Euro 2024, the Romanians recorded three draws and one defeat against Colombia. But failures in sparring are not a cause for concern. At the European Championship the results can be completely different.
Who are the stars of the Romanian national team?
There are no great players by European standards in the national team. During this generation Romanian nature rested. The only national team player valued by Transfermarkt at more than 10 million euros is Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin. However, the 22-year-old centre-back has only been playing for Spurs for six months. In January, the English club bought Dragushin from Italian side Verona for €25 million, apparently which is why Rada is now valued at that amount. The Romanian played nine games in the Premier League for Tottenham, four as a starter and five as a substitute.
The top scorers of the Romanian team in the qualifying phase for Euro 2024 are the author of the double against the Swiss, the 24-year-old midfielder Mihaile from Parma, the 33-year-old striker Alibek from the Qatari Al-Muaidara, and 31 years old. -Former captain of midfielder Nicolae Stanciu of Saudi Arabia Damaka. “Each of them scored three goals. At the same time, Mikhaile was on the field for only 171 minutes during the entire cycle, as he came on as a substitute in all seven matches.
The best assistant and most productive player of the Romanian national team in qualifying for Euro 2024 is 25-year-old midfielder Olimpiu Morutan. He had four assists, including two for Mihaile when he scored against Switzerland. Unfortunately for the Romanians, Morutan misses the European Championship due to injury. This is the team’s most serious loss.
In general, today’s team is strong not in names, but in collective play. In this it differs from Romania in the 1994 World Cup, which had great teachers and well-established team football. Only Gheorghe Hadji was worth it! By the way, his son Janis, who was about to move to Spartak several years ago, will play in the European Championship. This is a good attacking midfielder with experience playing for the Rangers, but, of course, he is inferior in talent to his famous father. Hadji Jr., 25, played last season on loan in Spain with Alavés, scoring only 2+2 in 26 games.
Yanis Hadji
Photo: Vasile Mihai-Antonio/Getty Images
In the Romanian team we must also highlight the winger Dennis Man, the second most valuable player of the national team, estimated at 9 million euros. In the finished season, he helped Parma return to Serie A. In total, 35 games. tournaments, Man scored 13 goals and gave seven broadcast assists
Another member of the team worth highlighting is goalkeeper Horacio Moldovan, 26, who plays for Atlético de Madrid, although he is a reserve there. And, of course, the former Ufa legionnaire Jonuts Nedelciaru. The 28-year-old defender plays in the Italian Serie B for Palermo.
Statistically, Stanciu stood out in the qualifying phase for Euro 2024. He became the best in number of shots (29), passes under attack (16), precise passes in the opposite third (122), duels won (51) and faults committed on himself (18). Alibek has the most shots on goal (10). The retired Morutsan dribbled (17).
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What are Romania’s chances of qualifying from the group?
The Romanian team is ranked 46th in the FIFA ranking. It is behind two of its three group rivals: Belgium (3) and Ukraine (22). The Romanians are slightly ahead only of the Slovak team (48).
The supercomputer Opta, which predicts the possible performance of teams at Euro 2024, estimates that Romania’s chances of reaching the quarterfinals are only 19%. For comparison: Belgium has 45.9% and Ukraine 26.9%. And here only Slovakia has a lower score, with 14.3%.
In general, if Yordenescu leads the team to the playoffs, he will immediately be able to receive the award for the best coach of Romania – 2024, without waiting until the end of the year or even for the Euro.
