Rapid București's coach demands squad changes
The head coach of FC Rapid București, Constantin Gâlcă, said on Sunday evening after the 1–2 defeat against FCSB that his team ended the year badly and urgently needs new players, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.
“We finished the year very poorly, that’s the truth. We got one point in the last three rounds, we didn’t look good. We made big mistakes… From my point of view, we need to change the team, we need new players, because we want to be up there and fight for a European cup spot. We need players in midfield, in attack, and on the wings. We need players who can come off the bench and make a difference,” the coach said on DigiSport.
“I don’t think this squad can maintain the pace until the end of the championship. Maybe it’s my fault… maybe another coach could do it. I can’t. I’m saying we need more players. Fight for the title? No, I don’t think so. Everything we’ve achieved so far has been based on very good organization, but we need quality players. In terms of numbers, we have many players, but not enough value. It’s a shame for our supporters, because they supported us everywhere and deserved more,” he added.
The coach also said his players lacked courage and should have played from the start the way they did in the second half.
“We started the match the same way as in the first leg. In the second half we started to play, but we made very big mistakes, both at the first goal and at the penalty. You can’t always come back when you play against FCSB. If we had played from the beginning the way we did at the end, yes. But we didn’t. We lacked courage, we didn’t show personality on the pitch. And FCSB is a good team that knows how to manage these moments. I think we should have played from the first minute the way we did in the second half. FCSB is a team that can reach the play-offs and fight for the title,” he said.
Gâlcă also believes Rapid should have been awarded another penalty for Adrian Șut’s foul on Jakub Hromada in the 90+3 minute.
“For me, Hromada had position and was pushed from behind. I don’t know the intensity, but he was clearly pushed. So for me, it’s a penalty. But the decision belongs to the referee,” Gâlcă stressed.
FCSB defeated Rapid București 2–1 (1–0) on Sunday evening at the National Arena, in a derby match counting for round 21 of the SuperLiga.
The champions opened the scoring through Darius Olaru (24th minute) with a shot to the far corner after a combination with Daniel Bîrligea. Florin Tănase (75th minute – penalty) scored the hosts’ second goal after a handball committed by Denis Ciobotariu.
Rapid’s goal was scored by Alexandru Dobre (86th minute – penalty), after Danijel Graovac fouled Claudiu Petrila in the box. It was the first penalty awarded to Rapid in this championship.
FCSB has now reached eight consecutive matches without defeat, with five wins and three draws.
As reported by CE Report, Rapid has just one victory in five rounds, along with one draw and three losses.
