Hong Kong head coach Jorn Andersen wished Srecko Katanec a speedy recovery after the Uzbekistan boss fell ill and returned to Slovenia, ahead of the teams’ Fifa World Cup qualifier on Tuesday.
Assistant coach Ales Ceh, a Slovenia international under Katanec at the 2002 World Cup, will take charge of the hosts at the 34,000-capacity Milliy Stadium in Tashkent.
Andersen, who first encountered Katanec as a player in the German Bundesliga, in October 1988, said: “I wish him all the best, I know him, we played against each other when he was at Stuttgart, and I was with Eintracht Frankfurt. I hope he can be healthy as quickly as possible.
“For the game, [Katanec’s absence] will not make a big difference. The head coach is very important, but he has good staff, who can support him and give the team the information they need.”
Hong Kong competed ferociously but came off comfortably second best in a 2-0 defeat at home to Uzbekistan last week at Mong Kok Stadium, a venue Katanec later labelled as “dangerous” because of the state of the pitch.
The frontline players Andersen is missing for the return would form a very good six-a-side team, but the Norwegian said his injury-hit visitors were not in Central Asia to make up the numbers.
He also resisted the idea that he was sick of the sight of the Uzbekistan national team, with the World Cup qualifying double-header coming barely six months after Hong Kong under-23s played the Uzbeks three times at the Asian Games.
“For a small football region … it is not easy to play one of the strongest teams in Asia,” Andersen told reporters in Tashkent. “They are ranked No 8 [in Asia, 66 in the world] but play some of the best football, and can compete with good teams from Europe.
“We prepared well for the first game, trying to find a tactical direction to play against them, to close spaces and be more aggressive. We know in football, everything is possible, and we are here to try to get a good result.”
A vast improvement in the Hong Kong team over the past 12 months, evident to the naked eye, is not represented in the global Fifa standings, where Andersen’s side dropped four places, to 154, after losing to three much-higher ranked opponents at the recent Asian Cup finals.
Hong Kong have lost their past six matches, with a notable friendly victory over China, on New Year’s Day, the only win in 10 games since beating Bhutan in a World Cup play-off match back in October.
Context is found beneath the bare statistics, however. Of the 10 opponents in that run, other than Bhutan, who won the return play-off at no cost to Hong Kong, only Turkmenistan are ranked outside the top 100, and they drew a World Cup qualifier in the city, in November.
“To play Uzbekistan, Iran, these teams, is not easy for Hong Kong, but we are learning a lot,” Andersen said. “We have to play harder and better, and have to fight more than in the Hong Kong Premier League, and against other opponents.
“It is important to play good quality teams, the experience will help us against sides around us [in rankings]. It is not easy to travel here, then play on Tuesday, but the team is very motivated and prepared.”
Invited to indulge in some tit-for-tat regarding the training facilities and stadium in Uzbekistan, Andersen instead turned on the charm.
“I am very happy to come to this nice country, and very satisfied with the field they gave us to train,” he said.
