Matjaž Kek warns of the need to keep working at the start of the Nations League: ‘We need to build on where we left off’
Photo: Luka Vovk / Sportida
Euro 2024 is a beautiful, yet increasingly distant memory. If anyone understands the importance of not resting on past laurels, it’s Matjaž Kek. Resting too long can quickly backfire… New challenges are already around the corner, as Slovenia will host Austria and Kazakhstan in the Nations League at the beginning of September. On Friday, Matjaž Kek announced the roster of players he will rely on in Ljubljana, emphasizing that hard work must continue if Slovenia wants to maintain its positive momentum.
“The good times passed quickly, and now we have to keep building from where we left off. We mustn’t forget the foundation of everything—good, positive energy. We enter these new challenges with a significant test of our abilities. The first opponent is formidable, as Austria looked very strong at the Euros, and we know where their players play. We’re familiar with the Kazakhs too. Austria plays aggressively and has excellent individuals. I hope the atmosphere will be as we’ve been used to recently. The goal is clear: to be competitive. 120% competitive!” said Matjaž Kek during a press conference at Brdo pri Kranju.
Matjaž Kek: “I’m the only veteran”
Regarding the list of players he called up to the national team, the Maribor native continued: “Some things happened; maybe I expected more. Certain players have issues, aren’t on the rosters, are looking for clubs, and the transfer window is long. There could have been a few more names, but some will, by agreement with Milenko Aćimović, assist the youth national team, which has two very important qualifying matches. I hope they manage to qualify for the European Championship… Some players have retired, and I leave that to them. Vid Belec contributed a lot; perhaps he was in the background, but he was more important than some might realize. Some players, like Verbič and Blažič, are still finding their way. Dejan Petrovič is included, though he didn’t perform well yesterday, but he’s a regular. Unfortunately, Zaletel is injured, and Žugelj is recovering from an injury. I hope that the European Championship was just the beginning for this generation.”
Also included are Josip Iličić and Jasmin Kurtić; many thought they would retire after reaching the peak of their national team careers at Euro 2024. However, that wasn’t the case, and Matjaž Kek is hesitant to call them veterans. “For me, there are no veterans. Well, I’m the only veteran… Aside from Vid Belec, we didn’t discuss retirements. Maybe a couple of players thought about it, but after some time, things changed. No one else has announced their farewell,” added Matjaž Kek.
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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