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Steaua Bucharest - Opposition Views


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Our own S3ra has been kind enough to answer a few questions ahead of our clash with Steaua in the EL. Here is what he had to say:

-First, how long have you been a Steaua Bucharest fan?
Football is huge in Romania and I practically grew up with Steaua. I was raised by my grandparents and my granddad was in the army. Since Steaua was traditionally the Army Team, this almost always meant that an army man was also a Steaua fan. The first game I went to was sometime in 2001, a league game away against Sportul Studentesc. We lost that game 3-1. The first European game I attended was a 1-1 draw at home against Liverpool in the 2003 Uefa cup.
-Steaua are doing great in the league. What have been your strengths and weaknesses this season?
Our physical preparation is definitely our biggest strength this season. We got a new coach last summer (Laurentiu Reghecampf) and he's implemented German training techniques used by many of the big teams in Europe. We already had quality players who were good technically and 7-8 players from our starting line-up have been together as a team for a while now and they have all benefited from the physical training sessions. The coach has also managed to improve the mood of the squad and the team spirit. The thing is that Steaua is a very volatile environment because of the crazy owner, Gigi Becali, who has managed to destabilize everything and sabotage his own investment with his statements and team interference almost every year since he took over the club. This season he has been unexpectedly tame (so far) and the results have improved.
In terms of weaknesses, we lack a proper centre forward and we're exposed at right-back with the first 2 in the pecking order recovering from long term injuries. Our goalkeeper Tatarusanu's poor decision making when it comes to crosses is also a worry.
-You knocked out Ajax, against the odds, in the last round after loosing 2-0 in the first match. Do you think coming into this match as the underdogs again gives you an advantage?
I think some of the underdog status may have washed off after we eliminated Ajax. We definitely start the game as second favorite but if Chelsea don't take this seriously they may be in for a surprise. We finished top of a group with Stuttgart, Fc Copenhagen and Molde, for the players these European games are always a good chance to show their worth on a bigger stage.
-Do you follow the EPL closely? How famous are Chelsea in Romania?
The Premier League is the only one I follow closely apart from the Romanian First League. I support Arsenal, I am a fan of the offensive football they play and the way the club is managed financially, even if this policy has meant that in recent years they have not been able to keep up. Every club has its ups and downs though.
Chelsea have been pretty popular here ever since Dan Petrescu played for the Blues in the 90's and I followed their games back then and remember a lot of quality players from that side like Wise, Gus Poyet, di Matteo or Zola.
-There has been debate between Chelsea fans of whether or not the club should take the Europa League seriously. How important is it for Steaua Bucharest?
I think there's definitely a difference between the way we approach the Europa League and how Chelsea see it. Of course we are aware of the fact that this competition lacks all the glamour and attention of the Champions League but it always beats an average league game in terms of excitement and expectations. We have a good European tradition and even though the coach stresses that the Romanian League is the priority, as we haven't won it for 7-8 years, the player's are always highly motivated on European nights.
-Who has been your best player this season and who could be a threat for us on Thursday?
It's hard to single out a single best player this season, it has been very much a team effort. The most efficient player would have to be Raul Rusescu. He has scored over 20 goals in all competitions this season, his finishing and his goal instinct are very good and he will definitely be a threat. Another essential player is Chiriches, a quick central defender with good positioning who has also scored some fantastic goals (an overhead kick against Molde in the group stage and a half-volley into the top corner from outside the box against Ajax). However, 7 or 8 of our starting line up were called up for the national squad and 5 started the game so there is more than one threat.
-If you could have one player from Chelsea at Steaua, who would it be and why?
Torres, he will surely regain his scoring touch and Chelsea fans don't like him much anyway, I imagine, and would probably want to get rid of him and Rafa at the same time I am kidding, I would prefer Oscar, there's always something exciting about a very technical Brazilian playmaker.
-What formation are you likely to play?
It will almost certainly be 4-2-3-1. We have experimented with 3-4-3 until it backfired miserably against Stuttgart in the group stage and we played 4-1-4-1 in the return leg against Ajax because of suspensions but I imagine with 2 legs and eveything still to play for, our coach will not want to take any unnecessary risks.
-Finally, please predict the result.
2-1 to Steaua.


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Our own S3ra has been kind enough to answer a few questions ahead of our clash with Steaua in the EL. Here is what he had to say:

-First, how long have you been a Steaua Bucharest fan?
Football is huge in Romania and I practically grew up with Steaua. I was raised by my grandparents and my granddad was in the army. Since Steaua was traditionally the Army Team, this almost always meant that an army man was also a Steaua fan. The first game I went to was sometime in 2001, a league game away against Sportul Studentesc. We lost that game 3-1. The first European game I attended was a 1-1 draw at home against Liverpool in the 2003 Uefa cup.
-Steaua are doing great in the league. What have been your strengths and weaknesses this season?
Our physical preparation is definitely our biggest strength this season. We got a new coach last summer (Laurentiu Reghecampf) and he's implemented German training techniques used by many of the big teams in Europe. We already had quality players who were good technically and 7-8 players from our starting line-up have been together as a team for a while now and they have all benefited from the physical training sessions. The coach has also managed to improve the mood of the squad and the team spirit. The thing is that Steaua is a very volatile environment because of the crazy owner, Gigi Becali, who has managed to destabilize everything and sabotage his own investment with his statements and team interference almost every year since he took over the club. This season he has been unexpectedly tame (so far) and the results have improved.
In terms of weaknesses, we lack a proper centre forward and we're exposed at right-back with the first 2 in the pecking order recovering from long term injuries. Our goalkeeper Tatarusanu's poor decision making when it comes to crosses is also a worry.
-You knocked out Ajax, against the odds, in the last round after loosing 2-0 in the first match. Do you think coming into this match as the underdogs again gives you an advantage?
I think some of the underdog status may have washed off after we eliminated Ajax. We definitely start the game as second favorite but if Chelsea don't take this seriously they may be in for a surprise. We finished top of a group with Stuttgart, Fc Copenhagen and Molde, for the players these European games are always a good chance to show their worth on a bigger stage.
-Do you follow the EPL closely? How famous are Chelsea in Romania?
The Premier League is the only one I follow closely apart from the Romanian First League. I support Arsenal, I am a fan of the offensive football they play and the way the club is managed financially, even if this policy has meant that in recent years they have not been able to keep up. Every club has its ups and downs though.
Chelsea have been pretty popular here ever since Dan Petrescu played for the Blues in the 90's and I followed their games back then and remember a lot of quality players from that side like Wise, Gus Poyet, di Matteo or Zola.
-There has been debate between Chelsea fans of whether or not the club should take the Europa League seriously. How important is it for Steaua Bucharest?
I think there's definitely a difference between the way we approach the Europa League and how Chelsea see it. Of course we are aware of the fact that this competition lacks all the glamour and attention of the Champions League but it always beats an average league game in terms of excitement and expectations. We have a good European tradition and even though the coach stresses that the Romanian League is the priority, as we haven't won it for 7-8 years, the player's are always highly motivated on European nights.
-Who has been your best player this season and who could be a threat for us on Thursday?
It's hard to single out a single best player this season, it has been very much a team effort. The most efficient player would have to be Raul Rusescu. He has scored over 20 goals in all competitions this season, his finishing and his goal instinct are very good and he will definitely be a threat. Another essential player is Chiriches, a quick central defender with good positioning who has also scored some fantastic goals (an overhead kick against Molde in the group stage and a half-volley into the top corner from outside the box against Ajax). However, 7 or 8 of our starting line up were called up for the national squad and 5 started the game so there is more than one threat.
-If you could have one player from Chelsea at Steaua, who would it be and why?
Torres, he will surely regain his scoring touch and Chelsea fans don't like him much anyway, I imagine, and would probably want to get rid of him and Rafa at the same time I am kidding, I would prefer Oscar, there's always something exciting about a very technical Brazilian playmaker.
-What formation are you likely to play?
It will almost certainly be 4-2-3-1. We have experimented with 3-4-3 until it backfired miserably against Stuttgart in the group stage and we played 4-1-4-1 in the return leg against Ajax because of suspensions but I imagine with 2 legs and eveything still to play for, our coach will not want to take any unnecessary risks.
-Finally, please predict the result.
2-1 to Steaua.

:fainthv9:

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