Nicolae Dică, the former coach of FCSB, recently shared his insights on his interactions with defender Valentin Crețu during their time together at the club. This comes in light of Crețu’s recent exclusion from the squad due to a conflict with team members.
Crețu was left out of the lineup for the match against UTA, which ended in a 1-3 defeat, following a disagreement with MM Stoica and Arnold Garita during a Wednesday training session. However, the right-back has since been reinstated to the team.
Dică, who coached Crețu for three months in 2022, elaborated on the defender’s behavior during practice sessions. “In football, conflicts among players can happen; it’s not a church where silence is expected. Everyone wants to win during training, which is positive. However, few players today show such enthusiasm to compete in practice as Crețu does,” he remarked.
Dică on Crețu’s Energetic Approach
“When you encounter a player like Crețu… I know him well from my time coaching him. He talks continuously. I was surprised! He runs, communicates, and gives instructions, but not in a harsh way. He has a lot of energy. I asked MM after a few days of training, ‘Is Crețu always like this, constantly talking?’ And he replied, ‘Yes, but just leave him be, that’s who he is.'”
Dică continued, noting that Crețu does not berate his teammates. “He runs and talks to himself, sometimes directing others, like ‘left, right, pass it to me, do this.’ It’s just his nature. Some might find it bothersome, but when you have a player who gives 100% in training and matches, you accept it. During my time at FCSB, I never saw him insult anyone. Perhaps he joked with Garita,” Dică added, as referenced by digisport.ro.
Mihai Stoica Reflects on the Incident
Following the incident, Mihai Stoica, the president of the FCSB Administration Council, recounted what transpired during the training session. “The training ended competitively, but nothing major happened. Both teams celebrated their victories, and Crețu playfully told Garita to ‘shut up and go back to China.’ It was all in good humor, even though I had to tell him to stop talking at one point because he was being too loud. I jokingly said, ‘Crețule, do you want me to hit you?” Stoica clarified that it was all meant in jest, emphasizing the light-hearted nature of their exchanges.
He concluded, “There was nothing serious. With Crețu, you argue with a smile. I expected Gigi Becali to reinstate him after this.”
