Northern Ireland v Hungary (29/03/2022)

THE COACH: HUNGARY

WORDS: LIAM BLACKBURN

Italian Marco Rossi has been in the Hungary hotseat since succeeding Belgian George Leekens in June 2018.

Rossi’s coaching career began in his native Italy with Lombardy-based club AC Lumezzane. He had spells with Pro Patria Calcio, Spezia Calcio, Scafatese and Cavese before taking the reins at Hungarian team Honved. After leading the club to an impressive third- place finish in his first season, Rossi resigned the following April , only to return for a second stint in charge the following February. It was during that second spell that Rossi enhanced his reputation by guiding Honved to a top flight title triumph, their first in 24 years, thanks to a final day victory over second- placed Videoton. Rossi resigned in the wake of that championship success, claiming he had “built something that ended so beautifully”. His next stop was a one-season spell with Slovakian club Dunajska Streda, who finished third in the country’s top flight under Rossi, their highest finish in five seasons. Rossi then took over a Hungary side who had not won any of their previous four games, and his first game in charge was a 1-0 defeat to Finland in the UEFA Nations League in September 2018. However, Rossi’s side won all three home games in that Nations League campaign to seal a berth in the Euro 2020 qualification play-offs. A 3-1 victory over Bulgaria in the semi-finals saw Hungary advance to a win-and-in match against Iceland in Budapest . Rossi tested positive for coronavirus on the eve of the decisive contest , meaning he watched on from home as Hungary scored twice in the final moments to secure their spot in the tournament .

Hungary were handed a nightmare draw, being grouped with previous winners Portugal , France and Germany, but Rossi’s side drew plaudits for their performances, despite falling at the first hurdle. Portugal needed three late goals to win in Budapest , while both France and Germany had to come from behind to get draws. Hungary were unable to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, but came into this international window on a three-game unbeaten run, which started with a 1-1 draw against England at Wembley. • Rossi was a defender and featured for Torino, Brescia, Sampdoria and Eintracht Frankfurt during a career that lasted from 1983 to 2000. • He spent two seasons in Mexico with Club America, playing under ex-Leeds United manager Marco Bielsa. Rossi cites Bielsa as a major influence. • Due to a curious bug Rossi was rated as the best player in the world on the videogame FIFA 97. His 97 overall rating was higher than Jari Litmanen and George Weah. • Prior to this window, Rossi had managed 476 games, emerging victorious 195 times to give him a win percentage of 40.97.

IRISHFA.COM

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