Ahead of the season opener between Yverdon and FC Zurich, the FCZ sporting director gives an update on various personnel matters and also talks about why the youngsters have to work hard to earn their place in the team.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- FCZ sporting director Milos Malenovic talks about the changes at FCZ at the start of the season and that it still takes time to settle in.
- At the same time, he emphasizes that the young players have to fight hard for their place. There is no free ticket for anyone.
- While Jonathan Okita may leave the club, Fabio Daprelà no longer has a future at FCZ and is unlikely to play any more games.
Juan José Perea and Umeh Emmanuel both joined FCZ this summer. And they both mastered their debut with flying colors. Perea scored in the 61st minute with a powerful low shot to give Zurich the lead. Emmanuel capped it off with his goal deep into stoppage time.
Naturally, sporting director Milos Malenovic was also delighted. Even before the game, the tactical fox took the time to talk to blue Sport about the most important changes in the summer and how he assesses the current FCZ squad.
«FC Zurich is not a club that hands out free tickets to young players. They have to train hard and prove themselves.»
Malenovic believes that the 2022 Swiss champions have clearly strengthened their squad. "The defence has been significantly stabilized, while new 'weapons' have been added in attack," he says, assessing the changes. However, he also qualifies that with seven changes, the team still needs time to settle in, especially because some players joined the team relatively late.
Now it's about finding the right chemistry, but also about having the necessary breadth in the squad. Especially if FCZ qualify for the Conference League internationally, it is extremely important to have a good mix of veterans and young talent. "We've seen that at YB in recent years. It was only because they had this breadth that they were able to perform well in the championship."
In this respect, Malenovic also emphasizes that the young players in particular have to earn their place. "FC Zurich is not a club that hands out free tickets to young players. They have to train hard and prove themselves."
Okita still away in the summer?
They clearly did that in the opener against Yverdon, especially in the second half. And that despite the fact that top performer Jonathan Okita was not on the pitch.
The signs are pointing to Oktia's departure. Malenovic: "He had a very good season with a lot of scoring points. Of course he's a sought-after player on the market. There are always requests coming in and that's why we have to be ready if he should leave. But that's why we've also brought in some players who can replace him."
There have recently been rumors that Marcel Koller's club Al Ahly is interested in the FCZ striker and he has also been linked with Hamburger SV.
No future for Daprelà
The future of Fabio Daprelà is a little less clear. Having only joined FCZ last fall, the defender appears to have no future as a player. According to Malenovic, the club informed him at an early stage that he was not on the team roster for the new season.
He is still in the squad, but as he no longer really fits the profile, he will probably not make any more appearances. "At FC Zurich, an older player must either be a regular player or clearly a reinforcement, a role model." Daprelà clearly does not fulfill this requirement.
