“Mircea Lucescu is the best option for Rapid”

Cristi Dulca played in Giulești for 4 seasons, between 1996 and 1999. He won, under the command of Mircea Lucescu, the title and the Romanian Cup and sees “Il Luce” as the right coach to make Rapid champion again.

VIDEO. Cristi Dulca: “Mircea Lucescu is the best option for Rapid”

– Mr. Dulca, who do you see as the most suitable for the Rapid bank?
– I think I would be the most suitable (no – laughs).

– Really, no one from Rapid called you?
– No no. I joked. Many names are being circulated, but the most suitable coach for Rapid is Mircea Lucescu. Giulești is something special, not everyone can train there.

– It is clear that Rapid wants Mircea Lucescu, but do you see such a move possible?
– I don’t know what Mircea’s plans are, but she would be the best person to be there. Either manager or next to a coach.

– Do you think a foreign coach would suit Rapid?
– That would be the wrong choice. Until he settles in Romania, until he understands the championship… I don’t know if it would be the right step to take the championship. If you ask me, the best solution for Rapid was actually Bergodi. I wouldn’t have kicked him out! I really liked him. The problem was with the players. I saw footballers who stopped concentrating on matches, made a lot of mistakes… Once they entered the play-offs, it was as if they took a premature vacation!

– Can you give us some examples of players who did not live up to expectations?
– I can’t say, most of them are my friends. But I can tell you something else. Mircea Lucescu, when he came to Rapid in 1997, knew how to change the mentality of the team. He made us hungry for trophies. You know very well, until Lucescu came to Rapid, we had not won the Cup and the championship for over 20 years. And in two years, with Mircea Lucescu, both trophies were won.

– Do you think it was a mistake to appoint Lobonț as interim coach until the end of the season?
– If you still kicked Bergodi out, you should have followed the model of the University of Craiova, which brought in Costel Gâlcă for the last 5 stages and had time to make an impression on the current team. Lobonț still does not have the experience to coach a team like Rapid. I don’t mean to offend him, but he hasn’t trained much so far.

Cristi Dulca (left) has 79 matches for Rapid

– Does Bogdan Lobonț also have an authority problem in the Rapid locker room?
– A professional footballer, regardless of who comes into the dressing room, must respect his coach, train and play at the highest level. It doesn’t matter if it’s Lobont or someone else. I’ve seen things on the pitch, after matches, that don’t do justice to such a club.

– How many reinforcements do you think Rapid needs to win the title next season?
– I am convinced that Mr. Șucu will make the best decisions. He is a very serious man and I think he will make the right decisions both regarding the coach and the transfers. Clearly there will be changes, both in terms of departures and arrivals. Rapid’s evolution, since it was promoted to League 1, has been very good. What they set out to do, they achieved. Now, the bar has been raised and he must take the title, or at least fight for the top two spots.

• GSP Live, the show made from the Gazeta Sporturilor studio and moderated by Alexandru Barbu, can be watched from Monday to Friday, from 11:00 a.m., on Facebook page, YouTube channelas well as on the website of Gazeta Sporturilor, GSP.ro

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