Football Albania plays tomorrow at 20:45 with the Czech Republic in "Air Albania". Sylvinho's Reds are first in Group E of Euro 2024 and Tirana's challenge with the Czechs is like a final.
On the eve of the match, the Brazilian from our bench spoke to Reuters and mentioned some specifics. For him, the National Team has three finals for the "Germany 2024" objective.
"We have three finals to go and we have to face it with the same attitude we have had so far. It all starts on Thursday. We are aware of the enthusiasm of our fans but the players know this is the outside scenario, something we we can't control it. They are absolutely calm and conscious," the coach initially said.
Then Sylvinho also focused on the importance of the match and the removal of euphoria from the players.
"A win on Thursday would be a big step towards our long-awaited qualification. It's hugely important, but it's still not decisive. We had a real chance to come back with a better result from that game, but the most important thing we got from the debut was that we connected with the players and they immediately understood what we wanted. Of course we want to be a well-organized team, score goals, build beautiful matches, but I insist on the idea that this team must maintain its identity, that is, the fighting spirit. The will, the courage and the attitude in every game. This is something that the players understood from the beginning," said the Brazilian.
The coach then talked about living in Albania and traveling to meet and follow the players. For him, if he didn't live in Tirana, he would have difficulty finding Jasir Asani.
"We had to live in Tirana to develop our work. We travel a lot, we meet the players, but the database we have from the Albanian Federation in Tirana is invaluable. If we weren't here, we probably wouldn't have found Jasir Asani. They are millions of Albanians living around the world. We were looking for a left-footed right winger and we found Asan. We liked what we saw immediately and he has been great for us. Our philosophy is to attract players with our work. Let the results , the project and the structure we are building should speak for us and touch the heart and soul of Albanian players abroad, so that they feel the call to return home", declared Sylvinho.