The mood of the white-violet team has improved considerably after the success against Unirea Slobozia in the Romanian Cup. Politehnica Timișoara is therefore confident about the next away game, the one on Sunday in the championship against Viitorul Pandurii Târgu Jiu.

The next match represents for our team the seventh away match out of ten this season, if we take into account the matches in the knockout competition. “It will be a tough game because we are also coming after another tough Cup game, a long trip. These are our problems in the championship. We started with two away games, the Cup games we played away, it’s a tiredness, but I hope that in these two days it will pass, we will focus on recovery and be as fresh as possible for the game against Viitorul Pandurii. Of course there will be changes in the team too, there are players who didn’t play at all in Slobozia, they will come into this game, players who played only 45 minutes, but there are also players who will be missing unfortunately. The match with Slobozia cost us three players: Pamfile – with a sprain, Mera – an adductor problem – and Roberto got a red card. Unfortunately we have a smaller squad and this is visible in our team“, said Dorin Toma, Politehnica’s head coach.

The coach said that the mood of the white-violet team has changed after the 1-0 victory in the round of 16 of the Romanian Cup, recorded in midweek: “We come after a morale-boosting victory, after the Cup game in Slobozia. I’m glad that the players are slowly starting to regain the confidence we had in the early stages. The confidence must come in this game as well, because we deserve it, although the last results in the championship didn’t help us, the game is growing, we have the potential to get through the tough moments and, most importantly, to get through the 89th or 90th minute. It’s frustrating, it’s hard, in the life of a team things like this happen, we are a young team, we are rebuilding, we have to follow certain steps. This is the lot at the moment and we are trying to grow together and bring the positive results we need…“.

The youngest member of the squad also spoke about the match in Gorj county. “The next match will be a tough game, clearly, we leave tomorrow, we come from a tough trip, the victory in Slobozia was very good for us, especially for our morale. We hope to come home with all three points and we’ll prepare well for the next game with the people from Braila … I feel very fit, I’m glad that the group accepted me very well. From all points of view. They encourage me, support me and I want to grow as much as possible, because I am still young and I have a lot to learn“, said Tudor Moțiu,

The young full-back was grateful that veterans Ioan Mera and Cristian Scutaru help him to improve as a footballer: “They always try to explain me where I’m wrong, to correct me and I appreciate that very much“. It should be noted that, being a central defender at the base, Tudor has performed very well in Politehnica’s games as a right full-back: “In the match against Lipova I had small mistakes, but I think that in the match against Slobozia I corrected them and slowly I began to understand what the position of right back also means“. The 17-year-old has one appearance in the league and two in the Romanian Cup this season, a competition in which he made his debut for Politehnica’s seniors last season.

Besides Claudiu Pamfile and Roberto Hațegan, Sebastian Serediuc and Denis Radu, who are still in the process of recovery, will certainly not be on the pitch on Sunday.

The match Viitorul Pandurii Tg. Jiu – Politehnica Timișoara will be played on Sunday, 26 September, at 11.00 (untelevised), in the 8th round of League 2, at the “Municipal” stadium in Târgu Jiu. Gorjenii are 16th with three points, while the white-violet are 14th with seven points.

“The discussions I have with them in the dressing room are about our internal kitchen. I will never listen to the players in public. My locker room talks with them are some. They have to be made to understand that not only the coach is responsible for the results and they have certain responsibilities on the pitch, but the results, of course, I take responsibility for. It happens that we make mistakes, big mistakes, in some games, these things cost us. And the big pressure is on the coach… There had to be a trigger. After the Slobozia game I think that was achieved. We managed to manage the game well, to get through that 90th minute. We had more chances than was written, because it wasn’t as bad a game as the Ialomita press wrote, which was taken from later. The game was pretty good, even if we used younger players or players who played less, we have a young and good squad that can grow from game to game”, Dorin Toma, head coach of Politehnica Timisoara.