New names and returnees in Marco Rossi's first squad

Ever since his appointment in June, Rossi has been paying keen attention to the performances of those players who were in with a chance of selection for his first squad. The new head coach or members of his staff have appeared at every relevant match in the 2018/19 OTP Bank Liga season so far, as well as interesting fixtures abroad too, either in person or with the aid of the internet.

These experiences, his vision of the team's playing style and the tactics he expects to encounter against Hungary's prospective opponents Greece and Finland have provided the basis on which he has named his 23-man squad. Hungary will start the inaugural UEFA Nations League with two fixtures in September, the intention of this new competition being to replace the annual raft of meaningless friendly matches with more competitive fixtures when there is always something at stake. There is also the opportunity of qualification for the best-performing teams.

During Hungary's successful Euro 2016 qualification campaign, UEFA severely penalised the Hungarian Football Association (MLSZ) for fan misbehaviour at the Hungary versus Romania fixture, therefore the home fixture against Greece will be played behind closed doors.

In addition to his 23-man squad, Rossi has compiled a list of reserve players, two for most positions, so that players can easily be calleed up in th event of injury or other occurrences which may rule them out of the matches.

Hungary Men's latest squad (surnames first):

Goalkeepers:

Dibusz Dénes (Ferencváros)
Gulácsi Péter (RB Leipzig)
Kovácsik Ádám (Mol Vidi FC)

Defenders:

Kádár Tamás (Dinamo Kiev)
Vinícius Paulo (Mol Vidi FC)
Lang Ádám (CFR Cluj)
Bese Barnabás (Le Havre)
Lovrencsics Gergő (Ferencváros)
Fiola Attila (Mol Vidi FC)
Botka Endre (Ferencváros)
Tamás Krisztián (Mol Vidi FC)

Midfielders:

Kleinheisler László (FK Asztana)
Kalmár Zsolt (DAC)
Kovács István (Mol Vidi FC)
Pátkai Máté (Mol Vidi FC)
Nagy Ádám (Bologna FC 1909)
Nagy Gergő (Budapest Honvéd FC)

Forwards:

Szalai Ádám (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)
Sallai Roland (APOEL Nicosia)
Sallói Dániel (Sporting Kansas City)
Stieber Zoltán (D.C. United)
Varga Roland (Ferencváros)
Eppel Márton (Kahrat Almati)

Reserves:

Gróf Dávid (Budapest Honvéd)
Guzmics Richárd (Jenpien)
Korcsmár Zsolt (Midtjylland)
Holman Dávid (Slovan Bratislava)
Vécsei Bálint (FC Lugano)
Bőle Lukács (Ferencváros)
Nagy Dominik (Legia Warsaw)

"I've repeatedly said that there is little room for manoeuvre in such a short period of time, so basically I'm relying on earlier systems. However, in the past few months, we have been watching all the players who can help the national team", Marco Rossi told MLSZ.hu.

"It was of paramount importance how the player would fit into our tactical vision, which, of course, is greatly influenced by Finland and Greece's playing style too. One of the most important aspects was how their physical conditions are, how regularly and how much they are playing in their club squads. Of course, after the success of Vidi in Europe, Istvan Kovács, for example, has now found a place in the squad, but it is on the basis of the above that I have called up several new or earlier-capped players, as well as those with a hitherto stable presence in the squad.

Also on the basis of the above considerations, I haven't selected Balázs Dzsudzsák, who has not yet found a new club. I personally discussed the current situation with him and he understood and accepted my reasons in alignment with the interests of the national team. It is important to emphasise that even though this time he won't be with us, I'll continue to regard him as the captain of the national team.

Many people might not have called up Adam Nagy as he is only now returning from injury. However, I consider playing matchs in a Serie A team to mean he will have good enough physical condition to be able to help the team".

The squad members will congregate in Telki on the evening of 2nd September before flying to Finland on Friday 7th September for their match the following evening in Tampere. Tuesday 11th September in the Groupama Aréna will be the date and venue for the behind-closd-doors match against Greece.

Hungary's Nations' League fixture schedule:

2018. September 8, 18:00: Finland-Hungary
2018. September 11, 20:45: Hungary–Greece
2018. October 12, 20:45: Greece–Hungary
2018. October 15, 20:45: Estonia–Hungary
2018. November 15, 20:45: Hungary–Estonia
2018. November 18, 20:45: Hungary–Finland