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The strategist of the Lithuanian national football team, Csaba Laszlo, revealed to the Scottish media that when he started working in Vilnius, he had to demand his own office. "I asked: 'what's going on here?' Now the federation understands me. I am at work at eight in the morning and leave at six in the evening. It was news to other employees, but that's my style," Cs. Laszlo told scotsman.com, revealing that in Lithuania it was not common for national team coaches to work long hours.
"If you work hard and are focused, you can achieve good results," said the Hungarian, who spent a lot of time at the Edinburgh "Hearts" team, where he got to know Lithuanian football. Cs. Laszlo also admitted to the Scots that the 2014 World Cup is not the goal of Lithuanian football players.
"I am a realist. A coach must see clearly and think rationally. Last year Lithuania lost to Liechtenstein and only scored five points in the European Championship qualifiers. I don't think it's very realistic to talk about the World Cup, but in football anything is possible. I am building a team that can compete in the 2016 European Football Championship," said the 48-year-old specialist, who is happy that he can already see a spark in his players' eyes.
And he continued: "Of course, working in the national team is not a daily job, but it takes much more time than many think. I travel a lot, watch the candidates play, talk to scouts, analyze opponents. I use Skype and the internet so that the team has enough information, so that I can communicate and prepare even before gathering for training camp. Many people do not appreciate this, as they do not understand how work in a national team goes."
"I only care about the game, not the name. Players must prove that they are worthy to play for the Lithuanian national team. Many well-known players don't even make it to the bench, because they don't show good results in their clubs. This is my third job in national teams, so I know what I'm doing."
