Our U17 side are in a fierce title race with Vasas, but the focus now shifts to the Puskás-Suzuki Cup. In addition to the three players who have debuted for the senior team – Zsombor Liziczay, Erik Kovács and Viktor Petrók – we naturally asked head coach Márton Bogdánfi about the tournament, the impact of those debuts and the new approach within the club.
“There are plenty of personalities in this age group who are capable of deciding matches. Tamás Feczkó and his staff work very well with our academy players. They are not afraid to use U17 players, and it fills me with pride that they can hold their own at that level as well. In this way they gain experience we could not provide at U17 level. By being in the squad and making their debuts, they have had a taste of the kind of atmosphere that could await them at the Puskás-Suzuki Cup. That can bring many positives. It can strengthen their character as well, and that should show at the tournament. They already have an advantage over the others. I would like these boys to radiate calm and help their teammates process positive stress as well. Besides composure, I hope the environment will motivate them even more" – said our head coach, who believes the use of the trio has also had a positive impact on the entire age-group team.
"The fact that Erik, Zsombi and Viktor (Erik Kovács, Zsombor Liziczay and Viktor Petrók – ed.) were able to debut for the senior team can also have a positive effect on the others, because the more competitive, winning-type players surround you, the more it raises their quality and mentality as well. The more players who play in a team like that, the greater the team cohesion can become. I coached them at U14 and U15 level too, so I know them well. We are talking about a very close-knit team with no divisions at all. I can confidently say that when they joined us, the performance level and training intensity rose by three or four levels. They performed better in every parameter; only the cohesion – especially in possession – was somewhat erratic. We have tried to fine-tune that over the past one or two weeks. I hope we can achieve a good result" – our age-group head coach explained. We also asked him about his own feelings.
“I am very proud that they were given the opportunity. I am delighted that such a successful staff who strongly support young players are working with the senior team. I have been here for nine years and have never experienced anything like it. Naturally, we are aware of the shortcomings of academy players, but instead of highlighting those, the staff focus on the positives and work on how to develop them. That also affects my team because they can see that they will have opportunities to show themselves in NB III or NB II. If this trend continues, I think training quality and motivation can improve rapidly in the future. This level of receptiveness is currently exceptional" – he added, before also discussing the relationship between experience and playing minutes for young players.
"A major change is that previously, even when results were good, it was not the young players who got playing time. Tamás Feczkó does not put unnecessarily heavy pressure on them. He knows that at 16 or 17 they need minutes on the pitch. It may take 20 matches before he can expect more serious things from them. This can mean that before the age of 19 he may already have a more experienced, much more mature player to work with. It matters whether people call you green at 17 or at 19. In modern football, if someone has not played senior football by the age of 19, then relative to his level of experience he is already considered an older player."
Our U17s were drawn into a group with Slavia Praha, Genk and Real Madrid. We therefore also asked our head coach about Friday's opponent.
"Slavia's team in this age group very rarely loses; they have been unbeaten since September. They are fast, dynamic and play vertical football. They can produce very dominant attacking play and press high. They are likely to use a lot of long balls; it will be a physical, combative match. They are very strong from set pieces, have many variations and are athletic. We have to impose our game on them; then we may have a chance" – Bogdánfi said of the Czech side.
"I would definitely highlight the winning mentality and individual quality. This team really hates losing. They will keep going until the last moment. I have many players capable of deciding matches" – our young coach assessed his team's strengths.
Three of our players who recently debuted for the senior side – Erik Kovács, Viktor Petrók and Zsombor Liziczay – are also in the squad for the Puskás-Suzuki Cup, so we asked Bogdánfi to assess the trio.
Zsombor Liziczay:
“Zsombi is a colourful personality who radiates stability and calm from the goal. His personality and professional mentality set him apart. He lives and breathes football and works incredibly hard. I love his work ethic and the way he lives his everyday life.”
Viktor Petrók:
“I have known Viktor since Kaposvár. He is a true conductor. An exceptionally talented academy player with outstanding technical ability. His game intelligence sets him apart from the others. He reads the game at a high level. It will matter what style of team he joins at senior level.
Erik Kovács:
“One of my hardest-working players, who asks me every week to sit down and analyse video. He likes to organise his time and know exactly what his task is. He is highly motivated and plays with all his heart. He has enormous potential because his pace, physique and strength are all above average, and he is also a prolific scorer for his age group. His rate of development has been the most striking in the team.
Budapest Honvéd U17 squad travelling to the Puskás-Suzuki Cup:
Liziczay Zsombor, Czinki Dávid, Rankó Viktor, Balázs Teó, Horváth Álmos, Milicz Péter, Schön Botond Csanád, Kis Atilla, Miták Milán József, Kovács Erik, Somogyi Tamás, Meskó Márk, Petrók Viktor, Ujváry Ferenc, Tasi Gergő, Kobela Patrik, Kecskés Barna, Russnák Áron, Nyers Ádám, Joó Ferenc
