Their drama and our fear

The national football team is facing a decisive double for the qualification to the final tournament of the European Championship next year, and the players are assaulted by the technical staff with mobilizing speeches. The phrase sounds good from the point of view of ... sport. If we list the two opponents, it is inevitable that a sigh will not be heard, it can be of relief, but also of slight disappointment. We play in Budapest, without spectators, against Belarus and in Bucharest, with minor spectators, against Andorra. So that there are no unnecessary comments, no matter how we look at things, they are two opponents that do not exist and have not existed in top European football. Treating the opponent seriously is a form of respect for him and the sport, but also a precautionary measure to avoid surprises. The exaggeration of seriousness takes us to the area of fear and lack of confidence in one's own strength. Whatever Andorra does, if you plan to reach a final tournament, you only have to take care of the score difference, not that of the points at stake. The excess of caution - trademark registered by the coach Dan Petrescu, but often used by the selector Edward Iordănescu - is often ridiculous and can have the effect of a boomerang for the players. If the current team cannot beat Belarus and Andorra, it really has nothing to look for at Euro 2024.

The discussions that appeared in the corners, related to the fact that the main opponent for second place, Israel, is not playing at the same time as us and that we would be somewhat disadvantaged, are not related to sports, but rather to something else entirely. Those people are living a drama, of the war taking place in their villages and cities, so our footballing fears and weaknesses have no place in this area.

Fear guards the watermelons, but despite the fact that there are similarities between a ball and a watermelon, football is no joke.