Dinamo is gearing up for the upcoming season with a completely revamped coaching staff and a fresh playing philosophy, starkly different from the previous year. Alexandru Pop, 26, candidly addressed the changes within the team, highlighting the transition to a system featuring two strikers under new coach Nuno Campos.
During a training camp in Kielce, Poland, the forward for the “Red Dogs” responded to four specific questions regarding the team’s preparation and objectives for the season.
Pop was a focal point of discussion at the end of last season after missing the crucial relegation playoff against FCSB due to his wedding being scheduled for the same day.
Radical Change: Dinamo Adopts a 4-4-2 Formation
Following nearly two weeks of training under the new staff, the Dinamo players are beginning to assimilate new game mechanics, both offensively and defensively. The most significant change is abandoning the single-striker system in favor of a dual-striker formation, which has generated excitement among the team, particularly for Alex Pop.
“We have been working for almost two weeks with the new staff and we are slowly starting to understand what they want from us in terms of our offensive and defensive roles. This is a shift from what we worked on previously with the former staff, but I’ve seen the guys at practice and we are all open to new challenges,” said Alex Pop for the supporter-funded platform, ‘Totul pentru Dinamo.’
Pressure at Dinamo and Fan Criticism
Having joined Dinamo a year and a half ago as the top scorer from Oțelul Galați, Pop acknowledged that his initial period was characterized by intense pressure and harsh criticism from fans when he did not meet expectations.
“Recently, I haven’t felt that weight of pressure as much as I did at the start, especially after I began to contribute positively on the field,” he remarked. “As forwards, we will always be judged and criticized based on the number of goals we score. I didn’t reach the level of success I desired or what I believe the fans expected, but things have started to improve.”
Pop noted, “It’s not fair for me to say that expectations were too high since I came from Oțelul Galați, a team that performed well in the previous season of the Superliga, and I arrived as their top scorer, having achieved significant goals. So naturally, it was reasonable for people to have expectations of me.” He added, “The issue was with me when I failed to deliver at that level. Of course, during that time, probably because of these high expectations, the criticism was quite severe.”
Last season, Alexandru Pop played 40 matches for Dinamo, scoring five goals and providing two assists. He is valued at €900,000 according to the specialist website Transfermarkt.
