Slovenia awaits the final cut by the coach: “Who, after all these years, wouldn’t want to go to the Euro?!”
![Slovenia awaits the final cut by the coach: “Who, after all these years, wouldn’t want to go to the Euro?!”](https://footballplanet.si/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/matjaz-kek-13.jpg)
Photo: Nik Moder / Sportida
It was expected that Matjaž Kek would reveal the list of 26 Slovenian national team players for the trip to Germany at the press conference before the match with Bulgaria, but this was not the case. The coach of Slovenia did indeed step in front of the press at 2 PM, but he did not want to discuss who would stay home. “The fact is that the football association, and consequently myself, have never missed deadlines. After today’s training, I will first inform the players of the list. We can change the list due to injuries until the day before the match. The sports public will be informed about the players within the deadline,” said Matjaž Kek at Brdo pri Kranju, hinting that the public will only be informed about the squad for Euro 2024 on Saturday: “Tomorrow, there will be 26 players on the list for the match who are on the list for the European Championship.”
The Maribor native does not hide that he has a very demanding and ungrateful task ahead of him. “In the end, it is necessary to decide on 26 players. This does not mean that those who are not included now will not be included next time. Football will be played even after the European Championship. We quickly have two top matches in the Nations League in September. It is clear that there is a tactical plan in the list. We cannot go to Germany with seven or eight attackers. Against the teams we have, we will not be attacking for 70 or 80 minutes. After two yellow cards, a player is already suspended. All this is considered when forming the list,” elaborated the former coach of Rijeka.
Matjaž Kek, who will lead Slovenia against Bulgaria tomorrow, added: “Some players have positively surprised me in training. If I set aside my role as a coach and selector, I ask you, who after all these years would not want to go to the European Championship? There is always disappointment here. Injuries, cards, poor form, all this is part of our job in making decisions that are often much harder than they seem to the public.”
The Slovenian coach explained that Benjamin Verbič will not play against Bulgaria, but this apparently does not mean that the scorer of the last qualifying goal will not travel to Germany: “Based on today’s condition, only Verbič will not be ready, all others on the list for the European Championship will be included.” Injuries indeed shape Kek’s decision: “Some players have injury problems. It’s nothing drastic. Today’s training and the list will be compiled, mainly based on the observed training sessions, the match with Armenia, and of course, half of the season behind the boys.” In short, the waiting continues…
This text was automatically translated using AI.
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