After Maribor’s draw with a participant in the Champions League, Ante Šimundža is in a good mood: “A guideline for the future, but we are not satisfied because we did not win”
Photo: NK Maribor
Football players of Maribor probably played their best in the ongoing part of the preparations against a distinguished opponent in Turkey. They drew with renowned Shakhtar from Donetsk after 120 minutes (0:0). Coach Ante Šimundža is especially pleased with the fact that his players performed excellently in the defensive part, but they still have a lot of room for improvement in the attacking part. He is also happy that captain of Maribor, Martin Milec, is returning to full match rhythm after an unpleasant injury.
Maribor showed a lot of positive aspects in the game
For the club’s website, Ante Šimundža first commented on the match and what his players could learn on the field throughout all 120 minutes: “That we can be very competitive when we are solid and compact. Compared to the previous match, this time it was also much better in terms of mentality; we also had more freshness to run these distances against a quality opponent. But in terms of the desire to play for a result and create opportunities, it was very good. Perhaps the referee could have awarded a penalty for us in at least one of the two situations, but overall, we are satisfied with what was shown. We saw a lot of positive aspects in the game.”
As mentioned, Martin Milec has returned: “Excellent. He played for 30 minutes, I wanted him to play a bit more, but we decided on a half-hour introductory performance. It is noticeable that he has been out of action for a long time. So far, everything is okay, we have to wait and see how the body reacts. If everything is positive and there are no complications, we will make the next plan for him and increase efforts.”
The conclusion of the preparations in Turkey follows: “This match should be a guideline for us in the future in terms of competitiveness, but we must not be satisfied since we did not win. Although we played against an excellent opponent, we did not allow them a greater number of chances. This test will be the starting point for the future, with stability in understanding all requirements. The fact is that we will be even more dangerous in the attacking phase when we are fresher. The team’s framework is already forming, and the most important thing is that we have a broad squad, a strong bench, so we can raise the pace of the game when needed between matches. This will be crucial alongside competitiveness and mentality in the spring part.”
This text was automatically translated using AI.
Author: editorial Football Planet
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