“I would be a hypocrite to say that I was dreaming of the 1st place! But the goal is different”

An unexpected development for the Moldovan team, which has never tasted defeat since August 4, when it lost 1-2 in Giulesti, against Rapid.

Leo Grozavu: “We're not trying to do good to a specific person, but to the team!”

– Mr. Grozavu, congratulations! You are October's Coach of the Month. A great month for you, for FC Botoșani.
– I can only be happy and it is a trophy to which my colleagues from the staff also contributed, to whom I owe all my thanks. Last but not least, the players, because without them nothing would be possible. Of course, all the others who make our work at FC Botoșani successful. And last month I had a good month, where I didn't lose a single game. We are in a very good moment and we hope to continue it as long as possible.

– It was two months without defeat. Says a lot!
– Yes, yes! There was also a break in the championship, which helped us with that. I stayed in first place for that two week period. We want to stay in this position as long as possible, because it is comfortable. Or comforting. Botoşani was not in such a situation and we want to continue on this line. The boys are fine, they are working well, enthusiasm is high.

“You can't do anything without luck! I got into a lucky sign”

– The last defeat was in August!
– Yes, but I didn't stay to make a statistic. We lost at Rapid… We want to extend this period as much as possible, because nothing is permanent in football.

FC Botoșani – UTA Arad

– What did you change in Botoșani? You didn't come with a magic wand, but it was a lot of work.
– Compared to other teams or other periods, I also had a chance. You can't do anything without a chance! I entered a lucky sign, the planets aligned, but not least the work and the homogeneity of the team. The fact that the major players have understood that only by forming a group can they do things in such a manner. It was all for us to succeed.

– Do you ever dream of this team position?
– I would be a hypocrite to say that I was dreaming! Any coach, any man working in the phenomenon wants the best results. We didn't think about that, we thought about doing things as well as possible. ITthe championship started, we only asked ourselves the problem of not going through the emotions of the past years, in which this team saved itself at the potou. We wanted to start the championship well, and everything aligned so that we are, at the moment, in a more than honorable position.

Awesome Leo

“Our goal is to stay in the first league and not have the emotions of the past”

– Has the goal changed since the start of the season?
– No! There's no way he can change, because that's how it seems to me to be normal. At the beginning of the season you set a goal, but it cannot change after each stage, depending on the result you do. The important thing is to stay focused on what we have to do. Our objective is to stay in the first league and not have the emotions of the past. Any higher position in the ranking can only show us that we are working well.

– Has the atmosphere in the locker room also changed? Or is it harder to manage when the victories come stage by stage?
– You realize, it's quite difficult to talk at the moment… Every time there are pluses and minuses. When you are playing under constant pressure of relegation it is much more difficult. It's clear that players still have moments of blockage in such moments. But now there is no such pressure. But, each time, the challenges are different.

– What do you mean?
– Everyone wants to play, the team is quite balanced, in value and numerically. Then, those who don't play can also have some annoyances. Every time we try not to do good to a specific person, but to make everything work well for the team. If the team is happy, then the players, taken individually, must be happy.

We would like the stadium to be populated even more, but unfortunately we play in an outdated arena, which is no longer up-to-date and there are many problems. This is also our offer… At a moment we hope by what we do to force things, to force the world to face the team. It is the best image vector of a city, a county

Leo Grozavu, FC Botoșani coach

How we will choose Player of the Month and Coach of the Month

Very briefly, about the algorithm used for tie-breaking to determine the winners. The GSP editors make the nominations, based on statistics and clear performance figures, then they will vote for 3 categories:

• GSP.ro readers
• journalists in the newsroom
• 5 specialists (former footballers or coaches)

FINAL RANKING October 2025 coach of the month

DETAILED RANKING

Readers' vote

Vote of GSP journalists

Expert vote