SATURDAY, THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON

Politehnica Timisoara will play on Saturday in the 7th round, the last one in the play-out of the second league. The opponent will be Metaloglobus București, and the match will be played at the Știința stadium, from 11 am.

Absent are Bocșan and Oanea (injured), Huminic (recovering), while the Finnish Tiihonen has been sent home on leave by the club.

In the Group A standings, Poli is in 7th place, last with 19 points, and is already relegated, while Metaloglobus is in 5th place with 29 points and still hoping to avoid the play-off place. For that, the Bucharest side must win in Timisoara and CSM Slatina must lose at home to Minaur Baia Mare.

The Poli – Metaloglobus match will be broadcast on Politehnica’s YouTube channel.

Statements from today’s press conference:

Paul Codrea, Politehnica coach:

“We are sorry that we are at this point and we are sad because we are basically saying goodbye to League 2. I think it was quite a positive adventure these years when the team was in League 2, unfortunately it ended badly, but after bad can come good. After bad weather the sun can come out, if we manage to reverse the trend and think positive, after this negative experience, I think that next year or next season we will manage to do much better things and maybe in the longer term.

About the match: a complicated match, because they still have a goal, they still have a chance to escape directly if they win here and Slatina doesn’t win or lose, so we are expecting a match with a motivated team, but we are also quite motivated. It’s been a pretty good week, it hasn’t been easy to train the boys, because mentally it’s clear when you’re relegated something happens, but they’ve pulled it together, they’ve prepared well and the objective is to come out on top and win the game.

It will be the best team we have at our disposal, the youngsters will be on the bench and if the game allows or depending on the game there will probably be the necessary changes. We want to treat the competition seriously, not to then have accusations from other teams that we didn’t treat the competition seriously. So we try to win the game.

Honestly, yeah, I was really looking at my record here, I’ve got two wins, two losses, this match would be kind of the one that tips the scales one way or the other. On top of that, I’d like to get over this 19-point threshold, get over 20. Poli Timisoara can’t be relegated with 19 points. And make a good impression. It’s not nice when you lose, especially at home, it’s the last game. I would like people, as many as there are, to come to the stadium, because it’s League 2 and we’ve worked hard to get here, we’ve come a long way from League 5. We say goodbye to League 2 with dignity.

Our plans are for League 3, everything that has been discussed so far, including the budget that has been made and the sports plan have been for League 3. Now if something extraordinary comes up, I can’t say and I don’t think we have considered it. I’m also saying, if eight teams withdraw and there are no teams in League 2, I don’t think we care whatever happens. Because we had the experience of last year and I don’t think the team is ready financially and athletically to cope with League 2.

That’s why we’re looking for players who can adapt to League 3, to the mentality of League 3, it’s not easy, I had an experience in Italy when I was relegated from Serie A to B as a player and the first thing the new coach did was to bring in players who are specifically suited to the Serie B championship, because they are different competitions, different football, it’s more complicated, more of a battle, and then you need players with that profile.

Of course you need quality players to make a difference, to be a good team. We also see Reșița, which leads here in our series, has quality players. You have to combine a bit of youth with experience, quality with quantity, to be a good assembler, like that, a selector, to be able to make a team. But it’s not easy, because we don’t know exactly who will come, who will leave. We are also in discussions with the players in the current squad, we are still waiting for answers. It’s still quite early, the championships are not ready, everyone is trying to find better solutions, but I say that even if I stay in Timisoara I’m not wrong.

Everyone is fine, except Milos (Sekulic) who hasn’t played for a while, Sekulic, and Onni Tiihonen, who expressed his wish to go to Finland and it won’t be for this game. He was at the last practice yesterday and told us he was leaving. Bocsan and Oanea (injured), he has a tear… Huminic has been out for a year.

I didn’t get to these discussions with Alin (Ignea, editor’s note about playing in League 3) and I saw that he announced that he doesn’t want to play for Poli Timisoara or leave Poli, I hadn’t got to that discussion yet. And if he announced it, I respect his decision.

…I am at the disposal of the club, if tomorrow Panti tells me to go back to the junior team or stay as sporting director, I am here in the club, I help in any position. Even here I have arrived so unexpectedly, I stay where I am asked. Here I was asked to stay, I gave my consent, here I stayed… We discussed and we keep discussing, that’s what we do, it’s difficult, at least in the composition of the squad… I already announced that I’m staying (as coach)”.

Denis Radu, Politehnica player:

“The last game of the season awaits us, as Mister said, a team that comes here after two consecutive wins, with very high expectations, considering that with a game of results they can escape the play-off, but we want to win this game, play a good game and come out with our heads held high.

For me honestly it’s been a disappointing relegation season. But for me personally I say we’ve had good performances, I’ve also looked at the stats, we’ve had some of the best performances and I hope to keep it that way. I still have two years left on my contract with Poli Timisoara. There may be offers, if it’s good for the club and for me, the management will decide, we’ll see… I don’t know about any offer”.