Stratos Svarnas backs Marek Papszun to make a good Brighton manager
A lot of names have been tipped to take over from Graham Potter as the new head coach of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Some of these names are well-known to Seagulls supporters and followers of English football, like Mauricio Pochettino or Leicester head coach Brendan Rodgers.
Other names may not have been heard of before. Did many Brighton fans know about Roberto De Zebri or Kjetil Knutsen until they were named as possible successors to Potter?
One coach who comes under the second category is Marek Papzun. The Polish manager was appointed head coach of third division club Raków Częstochowa in 2016.
In five years, he has won two promotions to take Rakow into the top division. Rakow finished runners up for their best ever placing, won the Polish Cup in 2021 and 2022 and two Polish Super Cups those same years. Rakow played Europa Conference football for the first time in 2021-22.
Two of the players who have played under Papszun at Rakow are Greek internationals Stratos Svarnas and Giannis Papanikolaou.
England365 from Greece editor and WeAreBrighton.com contributor Dimitris Manakos caught up with former AEK defender Svarnas to find out Papzun likes to approach matches, the system he adopts and whether a move to England is to be expected.
Hi Stratos. What do you think of Marek Papzun?
He is a very good coach, his teams are excellent defensively. He has nice ideas offensively and he works on all the details needed to succeed.
Which system does Papzun prefer? How does he react when Rakov falls behind? Does he have a plan B?
He plays 3-4-3 with two wingers and one striker at the top. If he is behind in the score, he puts on two strikers, turns it into 3-5-2.
Other teams in Poland did the same thing as us, copying 3-4-3 to try and stop us. When this happens, he played two strikers again to create more chances.
One more player in the centre also helps in his 3-5-2 in these games, but in general he preferred 3-4-3.
Does he like working with youngsters or does he limit himself to experienced footballers who are better suited to his style of play?
It’s not a matter of faces or age. If a little guy does well and sticks to his way of playing, he will implement them. He has no problem with age or giving young players a chance.
How do you think he would do at Brighton? Has he had any other clubs show an interest?
I wonder how he has not made the jump yet. He has been a target for Legia Warsaw many times, but he always stayed with Rakow.
He has been here for six years and he has a big say in the club. He was the catlayst for Rakow being the club it is today, playing at the top.
He would be worth the next step.
Dimitris Manakos @dimitris_manakos / England365.gr
