Euro 2008 Team Profile: Romania

Nickname: The Tricolorii, for the blue, yellow and red of the Romanian flag. Come to think of it, the whole group has three-colored flags. Weird.

Jersey: Yellow Adidas, with blue lettering, blue collar, and a blue and red pattern on the sides. I have to say, not a winner of a kit in my book. Also, coincidentally, not in yours, though it did beat France.

FIFA World Ranking: 12th (as of June 2008) – Right in the middle of the Euro 2008 pack rankings wise, with 8 ranked higher and 7 lower.

Fixtures/Schedule: Group C
June 9th vs France (Zurich) 18:00
June 13th vs Italy (Zurich) 20:45
June 17th vs Netherlands (Berne) 20:45

Coach: Victor Piţurcă
One of the few managers at Euro 2008 who was a truly great offensive player. Piţurcă scored 165 goals in 175 games with Steaua Bucharest and helped them to win the European Cup in 1986, the first and only time a Romanian club was European champion. Despite the status this afforded him in his country, he never became a fixture in the national team as a player.

Piţurcă’s coaching career has been marred by arguments and sackings, and his first shot at the Romania job ended when he and legendary Romanian playmaker Gheorghe Hagi disagreed, and Hagi won the argument. But he’s back now at the Romania helm, and has led the Tricolorii to their fourth-ever European Championships.

Expectations: In any other group, Romania would have to be a strong contender to advance to the quarterfinals, but this year’s Group C is truly a Group of Death. France, Italy and the Netherlands stand in the way, and just booking a spot in the quarterfinals above two of those three powerhouses will be a huge feat.

Let’s be honest – no one quite knows what to expect from Group C. Italy is without their captain, as may be France, and Holland has had their share of the injuries as well. Few outside of Tricolorii supporters expect them to make it, but the same could be said of the Greeks four years ago, when they faced off with Spain.

Key Player: Explosive striker and vice-captain Adrian Mutu. When Mutu scores a goal, Romania has only lost one match ever. His 28 career goals for his country include six from Euro 2008 qualifying, but none of them were against Group G big boys Netherlands and Bulgaria. He’ll get his chance to change that on June 17th. He is a double threat, able to score both on the run and from free kicks. Mutu’s promising career looked set to implode in September 2004, when he tested positive for cocaine and faced a seven-month suspension. He was picked up by Juventus, a gamble considering his history, and the rest is just that.

At Fiorentina, Mutu really found a home, and the strike partnership of Mutu and Luca Toni may have been the best in recent memory anywhere in Europe. Toni has, of course, moved on, but Mutu remains a vital part of the reason Fiorentina will be playing Champions League football next season.

If you haven’t had the pleasure, meet Mr. Mutu:

Other Key Players: There are four defenders on the Romania squad with 40 caps or more, and the defense is led by team captain Christian Chivu, fresh from another scudetto with Inter. Cosmin Contra also had a great club season with Getafe, and he better still be on that form when Mutu’s old friend Luca comes calling. In midfield, Nicolae Dică has got the hot foot for Romania, after his brace against Montenegro last week.

X-Factor: Aside from Mutu’s temper, which got him a red card at the end of the Serie A season just when the Viola needed him most, the biggest X Factor might be keeper Bogdan Lobonţ. A solid keeper can win games, and a great one can be the difference between a cup and an early exit. In 2004, Nikopolidis found brilliance for Greece, and the Tricolorii may need Bogdan to play just as far beyond himself to make a run.

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Bogdan Lobonţ (Dinamo Bucharest), Marius Popa (Poli Stiinta Timisoara), Eduard Stăncioiu (CFR Cluj)

Defenders: Cosmin Contra (Getafe), Dorin Goian (Steaua Bucharest), Sorin Ghionea (Steaua Bucharest), Gabriel Tamaş (Auxerre), Cosmin Moţi (Dinamo Bucharest), Cristian Săpunaru (Rapid Bucharest), Răzvan Raţ (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ştefan Radu (Lazio);

Midfielders: Cristian Chivu (Internazionale), Mirel Rădoi (Steaua Bucharest), Florentin Petre (CSKA Sofia), Paul Codrea (Siena), Nicolae Dică (Steaua Bucharest), Bănel Nicoliţă (Steaua Bucharest), Adrian Cristea (Dinamo Bucharest), Răzvan Cociş (Lokomotiv Moscow);

Forwards: Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina), Ciprian Marica (VfB Stuttgart), Daniel Niculae (Auxerre), Marius Niculae (Inverness Caledonian Thistle).

Complete Euro 2008 squads here.

Team Blogger: The Romania blog is mine, all mine. Hai Romania!

Random International Moments:

Romania’s longest run in a World Cup came in 1994, when they beat Argentina 3-2 to book a place in the quarterfinals. This was perhaps the best match of USA 94, with three lovely goals from the Tricolorii:

In that same World Cup, Hagi scored his most famous international goal, this lob against Colombia. This video is a quick one, so you might have to watch it twice to truly appreciate it.

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