Albert Riera the day after a heavy defeat at the official presentation: If I do not achieve the results that this club deserves, I will be the first to leave”

Published on 31. July 2024 31. July 2024

Photo: Luka Vovk / Sportida

After the debacle in the middle of the Slovak capital, Celje decided to officially present their new/old coach, who experienced a cold welcome in the form of five conceded goals and elimination from the Champions League qualifiers just yesterday. Albert Riera has concluded his fourth debut in his coaching career without a victory, but in the case of Olimpija and his first term in the princely city, this was not a measure for his future results. The coach of the current national champions was joined at the media gathering by the club president Valerij Kolotilo.

“We have one additional piece of news; we managed to be eliminated from the Champions League. The most important thing is that we can present our old friend. Albert accepted our offer, and we are happy that he has returned to Celje. I hope that we will progress with him. He has come back to Slovenia from a giant like Bordeaux. Our common goal is to raise everything to a much higher level, not just in words. We need to work to the extent that we will no longer need a miracle to eliminate teams like Slovan,” the president of the Celje club addressed the gathered journalists at the beginning.

Many were critical of the coaching change the day before the match after yesterday’s catastrophe, but the president of the counts persistently defends himself, even though every story has two sides. They spoke about their situation from the camp of Damir Krznar days ago. “Changing the coach is something that cannot be accepted overnight. There are many things we had to resolve. With Bordeaux, the new coaching staff, the old staff. Timing-wise, this matter fell right on the day before the match with Slovan. It was not possible to carry out the matter earlier. It would not have made sense to wait any longer. I believe that from the outside, everything looked quite strange. Damir Krznar was doing well, but we wanted more, to raise the level even higher. I have not a single bad word about him. However, in life, it is normal that when you want something more, you have to change things. I wish Damir all the best.”

Valerij Kolotilo Celje Photo: Luka Vovk / Sportida[/caption]

“We were in Bratislava for two days. A nice city, but nothing special. The standard of living in Slovenia is higher than in Slovakia. In football, however, it is different; yesterday we played against a top European club. By what parameter are we better than Slovan? We tried to take advantage of the situation, we inflated our words a bit to motivate the boys. When you come from Slovenia to the international arena and see how developed the infrastructure is there, you realize that you need a miracle to progress against such a team. At home, we had one more player, which we did not utilize, and there we conceded five goals. Everything was fair; there was no miracle,” Kolotilo added before the Spaniard took the stage.

Riera: “Now I know what it’s like to leave a club when you’re on top. I won’t make that mistake again”

“I want to talk about the future. About how to progress. We want to win the title again; if you win it once, someone can say it’s a coincidence, but when you win it twice, you become a reference for everyone else. Our goal is also to put Celje on the European map. And we want to do this together; it is very important that we have the same views with the club management. If I do not achieve the results that this club deserves, I will be the first to leave. I signed a two-year contract, and if we are successful, I hope we will work together even longer. Now I know what it’s like to leave a club when you’re on top. I won’t make that mistake again,” Riera initially said, returning to the Celje bench after last October.

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In the princely city, there has been talk of world-class reinforcements since the end of last season, including the winner of the Ballon d’Or and member of Real Madrid Luka Modrić. None of the announced high-profile names came to Celje, and the 42-year-old now speaks of an excess of players and a necessary cleanup. “You are asking me about reinforcements, but you know that we have too many footballers. It is impossible to train with 32 players. I came home; this is my house, which I want to arrange in my way. I will quickly make decisions. We have a deficit in the wing positions, while in some other positions, we have too many players. I have a lot of work ahead of me; everyone only sees the result and the field, but behind it is a demanding process. I remember last year there were 27 players in Celje, which is too many. I had to make quick decisions that are difficult, but that is my job. Now there are 32 players. I know how to resolve the situation, and I know who will stay and who will go. I will tell each player everything openly myself; they will not find out from anyone else. That is my job; that is my decision.”

“We know which players are key. They were untouchable and still are. I spoke with Žan; he knows he is untouchable. But if a crazy offer comes in for him tomorrow, then I will be the first to tell the president to sell him. I want to have a happy, satisfied player; if he will be happier elsewhere, then let him go. But for now, there is no such offer for him,” Riera concluded, aware of the status of Žan Karničnik, who had a phenomenal performance at the Euro 2024.

This text was automatically translated using AI.

Author: editorial Football Planet