We have reached the halfway stage of the OTP Bank 2020-2021 league season. Our team currently sits in second place with 8 wins, 5 draws and 2 defeats. They have scored 35 goals and conceded 17 at the other end. We reached the Europa League Play-Off's in the autumn and have made it through to the last 32 of the Hungarian Cup as we look to continue in February. We sat down to talk to our manager. 

How would you sum up the Autumn season having taken over in the summer?

The reason I am the manager of Vidi is for us to perform as a successful team. I have a sense of lack in this respect. Our game shows an evolving trend, we played good matches, but I am not satisfied with the number of points we have picked up. We should have collected at least 5-7 points more during the Autumn. Due to silly mistakes, we paid a high price in several matches. 

We have scored the most goals whilst conceding the second least over the first half, which is not such a bad return?

Of course, these are good things, but if we are already into the statistics, it is worth comparing the number of goals we have to the amount of chances we created ... So it is positive that we have created the most situations, but it is joy mingled with pain as I feel the number of goals scored is a lot, although most of the goals we have conceded have come from set-pieces, which would have been avoidable. We need to improve in both areas. I’m glad we’ve been more effective in the last matches.

It is said that the coach can teach the team how to work out chances, but converting them depends on the individual skills.

I keep saying this to the guys. There are situations you can prepare for, these vary from match to match, week to week, depending on what style of team we meet. In addition, there are things of general application that need to be practiced continuously and from which situations can then be developed. However, not every chance can be modelled in advance. Everyone should be aware of the basics, but the most important thing is that the player can find himself in situations that have not been practiced in advance. To be able to pull off an unexpected thing that you can’t prepare for. Of course, you can also practice in training what to do when someone gets into a big situation, but training and the actual chances in the match are completely different, when you have to choose a calm solution under pressure, at high stakes.

Was there a low point during the autumn season?

In my understanding the low point means that defeats come in a series, fortunately it wasn’t like that. We did not perform well against MTK and Paks, the team had a bad attitude in these matches. Football involves defeat, no matter how hard it is to accept, but it cannot be snatched out as it did in the two matches mentioned. However, we played really well against Honved, yet we lost two points because we made a mistake in two set pieces.

What have been the positives since the summer?

It's hard to highlight that. There have been lots of positives to people during the season, whether it’s matches or conversations with players. Both positive and negative things come from individuals.

What are the plans for the team as we prepare in January?

We will be that much ahead at the start of the season that players are now physically on the same level. Hopefully the pre-season will go smoothly for everyone and we can focus on quality play. I’m looking forward to playing better and picking up more points this spring season.

What is your message to the supporters and the festive period?

I wish our fans the best over the festive holiday, thank you for supporting the team and going out to the matches whenever possible. It is unfortunate that we have not been able to be encouraged in the stadium lately, I wish everyone a happier new year in this respect as well.!