Romania (Group C)
Squad | Scouting Report | Road to Euro 2008 | Euro History
| Squad | ||
| Player | Position | Club |
| Bogdan Lobont | Goalkeeper | Dinamo Bucharest |
| Marius Popa | Goalkeeper | FC Politehnica |
| Eduard Stancioiu | Goalkeeper | CFR 1907 Cluj |
| Cosmin Contra | Defender | Getafe (Spain) |
| Razvan Rat | Defender | Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) |
| Gabriel Tamas | Defender | Auxerre (France) |
| Cristian Chivu | Defender | Inter Milan (Italy) |
| Cristian Sapunaru | Defender | Rapid Bucharest |
| Sorin Ghionea | Defender | Steaua Bucharest |
| Dorin Goian | Defender | Steaua Bucharest |
| Cosmin Moti | Defender | Dinamo Bucharest |
| Stefan Radu | Defender | Lazio (Italy) |
| Mirel Radoi | Midfielder | Steaua Bucharest |
| Florentin Petre | Midfielder | CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria) |
| Paul Codrea | Midfielder | Siena (Italy) |
| Razvan Cocis | Midfielder | Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia) |
| Banel Nicolita | Midfielder | Steaua Bucharest |
| Adrian Cristea | Midfielder | Dinamo Bucharest |
| Nicolae Dica | Midfielder | Steaua Bucharest |
| Ciprian Marica | Forward | VfB Stuttgart (Germany) |
| Adrian Mutu | Forward | Fiorentina (Italy) |
| Marius Niculae | Forward | Inverness Caledonian Thistle (Scotland) |
| Daniel Niculae | Forward | Auxerre (France) |
| Head Coach: | Victor Piturca | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Victor Piturca's team plays an attacking – but not a reckless – brand of soccer, meaning Romania is always looking to get forward by taking calculated risks, not by leaving themselves vulnerable at the back. That said, centre back Dorin Goian is known to venture forward in support of the attack. Goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont likes to launch the counterattack by getting the ball to his two outside midfielders. The defence is supported by two central holding midfielders (Razvan Cocis and Cristian Chivu) who act as a shield to protect the back line, allowing the two wide midfielders (Nicolae Dica on the left, Banel Nicolita on the right) to concentrate on moving the attack forward and getting the ball to the feet of Romania's strikers. Adrian Mutu and Ciprian Marica form a devastating 1-2 scoring punch up front (they combined for 11 goals in qualifying), and each offer something different: Mutu is a free kick specialist who likes to cut in from the left while Marica uses his speed to take defenders on one-one-one to get into the penalty box. Piturca's tends to use a 4-4-2 formation, but he's also been known to employ a 4-2-3-1 (with Marica as the forward and Mutu dropping back on the left wing).
Probable starting formation (4-4-2): (GK) Lobonÿ - (D) Contra, Goian, Tamas, Raÿ - (M) Cocis, Chivu, Dica, Nicolita - (F) Marica, Mutu
Strengths
Defence – Romania only gave up seven goals in 12 qualifying games (five goals through their first 10) and enjoy such defensive depth that they can afford to play captain Cristian Chivu, a star defender with Inter Milan, in centre midfield. Dorian Goian and Gabriel Tamas form one the best central defensive pairings in the game, right back Cosmin Contra is an accomplished veteran and Razvan Raÿ is a danger with his surging runs down the left wing.
Coaching – Victor Piturca is an intelligent and astute coach who, although he prefers to play attacking soccer, has shown he can change tactics when the situation calls for it – witness Romania's more defensive approach that helped them earn a draw and a victory over the Netherlands in the qualifiers. A former striker in his playing days, Piturca knows his managerial onions.
Motivation – Romania has not appeared at a major international tournament since Euro 2000 – they failed to qualify for the last two World Cups and Euro 2004 – so they are anxious to prove they deserve to sit with the rest of the adults after being at the kiddie table for the last eight years. What's more, Romania won 10 of their 12 qualifying games and looked convincing in winning their group ahead of the Netherlands
Weaknesses
Midfield creativity – Romania has plenty of battlers and grinders in midfield – Chivu foremost among them – but what the team is missing are a couple of dangerous playmakers who can make things happen and break a game open with their creative flair. Nicolae Dica is the only Romanian midfielder who comes close to fitting that description.
Goalkeeping – No. 1 goalkeeper Bogdan Lobonÿ has begun to live up to his promise, but the Dinamo Bucharest shot stopper is still prone to making errors. If he gets hurt, Romania doesn't have a reliable backup - Eduard Stancioiu and Marius Popa both lack national team experience.
Tough Group – Romania's reward for making it back to Euro after an eight-year absence was a first-round group that includes world champions Italy, two-time European champions France, and a Netherlands team that will be out for revenge. Qualifying for the quarter-finals from this group will be easier said than done for Romania
Players to watch
Cristian Chivu – Romania's captain is a star defender with Inter Milan, noted for his speed, intelligent play, technical prowess and ability to score from set-piece situations. But although he plays as both a central and left defender for Inter, he is employed as an effective holding midfielder for the Romanian national team, excelling in the role and underlining his versatility.
Cosmin Contra – He doesn't get his due, but Contra is a talented right fullback who is tough as nails and doesn’t back down from a challenge. Contra has plenty of experience – he's played in Italy and Spain – and lends support to the Romanian attack with his pillaging runs down the right wing.
Adrian Mutu – Romania's top scorer in the qualifiers with six goals, Mutu is a dangerous forward who can also drop back and play as an attacking midfielder. Quick and crafty with the ball, Mutu is an intelligent player and a team leader his teammates look to for inspiration
Key injuries/sqaud omissions: Midfielder Ciprian Deac was named to coach Piturca's provisional squad but didn't make the final cut. Striker Eduard Stancioiu was also passed over, which is strange because he's coming off a strong season with Dinamo Bucharest. Midfielder Ovidiu Petre (knee injury) and goalkeeper Danut Coman (broke finger) pulled out of the squad. Captain Cristian Chivu is carrying a shoulder injury, but is still expected to start. Key central defender Dorin Goian may miss Romania's opening match against France on after straining a tendon in his left leg during a training session.
Road to Euro 2008
1st round matches:
June 9 vs. France (Zurich)
June 13 vs. Italy (Zurich)
June 17 vs. Netherlands (Berne)
Euro 2008 qualification route
Finished first in qualifying Group 7 (29 points) ahead of the Netherlands (26 points)
Record in qualifying: 9 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss
Goals for: 26
Goals against: 7
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Adrian Mutu (6)
Qualifying results:
09.02.2006: Romania 2 - Bulgaria 2
09.09.2006: Romania 2 - Albania 0
10.07.2006: Romania 3 - Belarus 1
03.24.2007: Romania 0 - Netherlands 0
03.28.2007: Romania 3 - Luxembourg 0
06.02.2007: Romania 2 - Slovenia 1
06.06.2007: Romania 2 - Slovenia 0
09.08.2007: Romania 3 - Belarus 1
10.13.2007: Romania 1 - Netherlands 0
10.17.2007: Romania 2 - Luxembourg 0
11.17.2007: Romania 0 - Bulgaria 1
11.21.2007: Romania 6 - Albania 1
Euro History
Number of Previous Euro Appearances: 3
All-time record: 10 GP - 1 W, 2 T, 7 L
Goals for: 7
Goals against: 14
Most appearances: Gheorghe Hagi (1)
Most goals: Seven players tied at 1
Biggest win: 3-2 vs. England in 2000
Biggest loss: 0-2 vs. Italy in 2000
Euro Results:
1960 to 1980 - did not qualify
1984 - first round
1988 - did not qualify
1992 - did not qualify
1996 - first round
2000 - quarter-finals
2004 - did not qualify
Legends from the past
Gheorghe Hagi: The greatest Romanian player of all time. Nicknamed "The Maradona of the Carpathians," Hagi was a brilliant playmaker who appeared in two World Cups, helping Romania reach the quarter-finals in 1994, and scored a record 35 goals in 125 appearances for his country. He also had a distinguished club career, with stints at Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, and Galatasaray.
Daniel Petrescu: A solid defender who could also play as a winger, Petrescu appeared in 95 games for Romania from 1989-200, and was a key figure in the team that reached the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup, beating Maradona and Argentina along the way. Played in Italy (with Genoa) and England (most notably with Chelsea) before retiring in 2003.