Recap
Puskás Academy underwent a significant rebuild during the summer, with a number of players departing, particularly those on relatively high salaries. Head coach Zsolt Hornyák also left the club, with the team subsequently handed over to the young Hungarian manager Levente Babó. So far, the change appears to have been an excellent decision for the Felcsút side.
Babó has quickly implemented his ideas, building a proactive and attacking team that wants to control matches through possession and dictate the tempo. One of the most encouraging aspects has been his willingness to trust young Hungarian talent. Players around the age of 20, including Kevin Montovics, Zsolt Krupa, Zsombor Varga, Bence Vékony, Martin Kern, Roland Orján and goalkeeper Bendegúz Lehoczki, have been given genuine opportunities and have responded positively.
At the same time, Puskás Academy have a strong balance of experience and quality. The squad includes established Hungarian internationals such as Zsolt Nagy, Szolnoki, Dárdai and Lukács, alongside several quality foreign players, including the Finnish contingent, Harutyunyan, Colley and Duarte.
Puskás Academy currently sit at the top of the league and have every reason to believe they can challenge for one of the positions leading to European competition. Their only recent setback came against Ferencváros, who have also been improving steadily, but that defeat does little to change my overall assessment of Felcsút.
Zalaegerszegi have made a very poor start to the season. Much of the same approach from last year remains in place, with a constant turnover of relatively unknown foreign players, particularly from Latin America. The players capable of making a real difference have largely been sold, leaving the team without the necessary quality to compensate.
After six rounds, ZTE sit bottom of the table with just three points. Their football remains possession-oriented and attacking, with an emphasis on building through short passing, but the execution has been poor. Individual mistakes are frequent, the team lacks cohesion and the players still don’t appear fully accustomed to the system. At this stage, avoiding relegation looks like the only realistic objective.
The difference between these two teams is quite clear. Puskás Academy are playing significantly better football, possess greater balance and arrive with considerably more confidence.