Hungary's Rossi Eyes Kazakhstan Clash Amid Performance Pressure

Hungary's national football team coach Marco Rossi, despite a contract running until 2030, remains pragmatic about his tenure. He acknowledged that continued success is crucial, stating that poor performance in upcoming Nations League or European Championship qualifiers could jeopardize his position before the World Cup qualifiers.

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My contract runs until 2030, two Nations League series and a European Championship qualifying series await us, and if they don't go as we want, it's not certain that I will still be on the bench during the World Cup qualifiers.

Rossi stressed the importance of a gradual development for the team, which he described as one that constantly works to rectify its errors and enhance its playing style. His immediate focus is on the upcoming match against Kazakhstan, where the priority is to avoid the defensive lapses seen in the recent game against Finland. Rossi aims for Hungary to control possession and play offensively, though he anticipates Kazakhstan will also seek to assert themselves.

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We have to go step by step, we shouldn't run too far ahead. Ours is a team that constantly tries to correct its mistakes while trying to improve its game. I trust that this national team has a beautiful future ahead of it.

The Hungarian squad will be without defenders Kerkez Milos and Sallai Roland for the Kazakhstan match. However, Rossi highlighted the potential of young player Szűcs Tamás, whom he considers highly intelligent and modest, with the qualities to become an international-level footballer. Tamás might feature against Kazakhstan, following his appearance against Finland.

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We want to play well, and the priority is to avoid what happened last time, in the final phase of the match against Finland, when the opponent led three successful counter-attacks against the Hungarian national team.

Historically, Hungary has a mixed record against Kazakhstan, with a 3-0 victory in 2014 and a surprising 3-2 defeat in 2018. Kazakhstan, currently ranked 109th by FIFA, recently secured wins against Namibia and Comoros and a notable draw against Belgium in World Cup qualifiers, indicating they can be a physically strong and disciplined opponent.

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We have to control the game, we want to have the ball as much as possible, although the Kazakhs will also have a say in this, against whom we want to keep the ball and produce attacking play.