Rapid 2023 | It is the most important year in the history of Rapid Bucharest. Simply because it is year number 100, a legendary mark. Being at its end, now I will draw a line, split in three, all relevant, to determine if, from sporting perspective, it was a productive year or not. From all other points of view, Rapid Bucharest looks impeccable, so the question is linked to where the club stands right now, in terms of performance. Because the training conditions, the playing ground, the investments, and, most important, the supporters are at peak value. Did Rapid perform in 2023? Let’s see!
Rapid 2023 – part 1 (regular season, last part):
- Sepsi (home) 3-0
- U Cluj (away) 0-0
- Voluntari (h) 4-1
- FCU Craiova (h) 1-2
- CS Mioveni (a) 0-0
- Chindia (h) 2-0
- Botoșani (a) 2-1
- Hermannstadt (h) 0-1
- Farul (a) 1-2
First nine matches of 2023 were all in the championship, all in the regular competition and after the line was crossed, Rapid Bucharest qualified for the play-off. A good performance, that ensured an ascending trend from the last years. The only big problem were the two last games, which were lost, so then Rapid Bucharest had a major disadvantage when entering the last six and, in theory, fighting for the championship. However, considering this was the main objective, nobody could blame coach Adrian Mutu, in spite many syncope, of a bad performance. Things could be better, but Rapid was just regaining force in the top level of Romanian football. A poor one, correct, but still, 2023 looked to be more a level up year. Nobody could deny that the thoughts for the playoff were redirected towards a good performance.
Rapid 2023 – part 2 (Liga 1 playoff):
- CFR Cluj (a) 2-2
- Farul (h) 1-1
- Sepsi (a) 0-2
- CSU Craiova (a) 3-1
- fcsb (h) 1-0
- CFR Cluj (h) 3-1
- Farul (a) 2-7
- Sepsi (h) 0-0
- CSU Craiova (h) 2-3
- fcsb (a) 5-1
This set of 10 games started promising in terms of play, and ended perfect with a 5-1 win at fcsb soil, but the bottom line was deplorable, as Rapid finished fifth without having the right to claim more. In fact, from the second to the fourth match, everything was lost and after two games, the trashing defeat from Ovidiu showed that Rapid doesn’t look to have a great 2023 year. However, a 5th finish under Adrian Mutu looked solid at least for future and the board was breeding hopes for the 2023-2024 season. Was the ended season, all in all a good one? Maybe yes, but with a lot of room for improvement for the start of the next one. With a steady team, everything should be easier. More experience, good transfers and, normally, some lessons learned from mistakes. But…
Rapid 2023 – part 3 (regular season, first part):
- Sepsi (h) 0-0
- U Cluj (a) 3-0
- Botoșani (h) 2-2
- FC Voluntari (a) 1-2
- Petrolul (h) 0-2
- Farul (h) 3-1
- FCU Craiova (a) 5-3
- Dinamo (h) 4-0
- Otelul (a) 0-0
- CFR Cluj (h) 3-1
- Botosani (a – cup) 3-1
- Hermannstadt (a) 1-1
- CSMS Iași (h) 3-2
- UTA (a) 2-2
- CSU Craiova (h) 2-0
- csa steaua (a – cup) 0-0
- fcsb (a) 2-1
- Sepsi (a) 0-0
- U Cluj (h) 2-3
- Botosani (a) 0-0
- CFR Cluj (h – cup) 0-0
- Voluntari (h) 1-2
- Petrolul (a) 0-0
- Farul (a) 0-0
It might have been more interesting to split the third part in two, but since it is not applicable, because, in the end, it was a sole block of games, 24 to be numbered, the most efficient way was to take them altogether, but highlighting the important facts, just to proof why the block is considered a compact one. The biggest shock of the beginning of the season was the departure of coach Mutu to Baku, Azerbadjan – team that he trashed meanwhile and was sacked before Christmas, what an irony! – so the board need to figure out a solution. Of course, it is always hard in these circumstances, but from my perspective, the worst decision was taken: hiring… Cristiano Bergodi!
Why Bergodi, when he failed twice?
Now, many would say that he won three trophies in two years with Sepsi, but those trophies don’t have much value and, truth being said, it is rather complicated that Sepsi reaches a final and not win it… Anyway, the problem, for which I am claiming the wrong decision was that Bergodi coached Rapid twice before, when he was much younger, in 2007 and 2015, and failed both times. Why should he be a better option, considering his experience gain was very thin, while his CV was charged with teams that nobody cares about, I mean in terms of serious football. Because Rapid Bucharest, not only for its entire history, but in present days means much more than Sepsi, Voluntari or CSU Craiova.
To be fair, but…
I think Chihaia, from youth, for example, would have been a better short term match, or even for half an year. My forecast was that Bergodi would be released after a couple of games and he was about to receive a sacking, from the rumors, after a catastrophic first five match start with only one single victory. But then, something unthinkable happened and that series is marked in red, because I am fair play and I am mentioning it: 13 official games in-a-row without any defeat. It looks good, but after analyzing that better, at the end of the year, the conclusion is by far a satisfactory one…
Rapid didn’t lost, but neither did win too much
OK, so Rapid didn’t lost for 13 matches. But among this spell, the team won eight games, with fairly strong opponents, but also lost unnecessary points and as well managed to exit the Romanian Cup, an objective that Bergodi should have considered for sure. There were eight victories, but in away games Rapid won only… twice in the league from six games! A statistics for a rather small team, considering one of the victories was obtained on the pitch of fcsb, an opponent that Rapid looked to be able to beat at any time of day and night.
0-0 as a trend in the closing of 2023
This wouldn’t have been a problem, if the next five games didn’t prove catastrophic, with three 0-0 and two home soil defeats, against very modest U Cluj and Voluntari (six points out of six!). Actually, in the last seven games of 2023, Rapid did not manage to win once, and realized… five (!!!) 0-0! Too, too small for a team this size. And the problem here is that Rapid had won at least the two home games and at Botoșani, would have been only three points behind fcsb, the leader. But they are, now, 11 instead and looks to be even worse perspectives for the beginning of 2024, if the coach is not changed.
My bet: when will Rapid change Bergodi
Seeing Rapid play, I bet that, if Bergodi won’t be released now, the board might release them somewhere in February when the team might be at serious risk not only to slip far behind top three – the announced objective – but even out of the play-off range. Mark my word! Anyway, getting back to 2023, we see a forth place at the end of the year, which looks like a progression against last season. In reality, it is, but the facts are deceiving, because Rapid Bucharest has much more potential because of the investment, stability and support, but also because the top league in Romania is so weak, that any consistent team can win the championship by far.
2023, good or bad, it is over now
Would have Rapid better with Mutu this season? I don’t know, but at least he, as miserable as he proved to be in the end, was something new, not a artefact found in the attic. 2023 wasn’t a bad year, if we consider the whole picture and the rebirth of Rapid in the top league, but it was far below what could have been if some different decisions were taken. Of course, in the end, nobody is to blame. Mistakes can happen, even repeatedly, the only important thing is to acknowledge and fix them. By then, let us have some raw number comparison.
Rapid 2023:
- Part 1 (regular season end 2022-2023):
- 9 games, 4 wins, 2 draws, 3 loses –> 1.55 points / match, qualified for play-off
- Part 2 (play-off, 2022-2023):
- 10 games, 3 wins, 3 draws, 4 loses –> 1.20 points / match, 5th place
- Part 3 (regular season start 2023-2024)
- Championship: 21 games, 8 wins, 9 draws, 4 loses –> 1.57 points / match, 4th place
- Cup: 3 games, 1 win, 2 draws, 0 loses –> eliminated from the competition
Having the above, I would also like to compare something, so to be fare when I draw my final conclusion regarding the performance of Rapid Bucharest in 2023 and, especially, of its two coaches from this season.
- Rapid Bucharest second part of 2021-2022, regular season, under Mihai Iosif (beginning of 2022):
- 8 games, 0 wins, 5 draws, 3 loses –> 0.63 points / match, failed to qualify for play-off, dismissed
- Rapid Bucharest play-out 2021-2022, under Adrian Mutu
- 8 games, 6 wins, 1 draw, 2 loses –> 2.38 points / match, failed to qualify for the Europe Conference play-off
- Rapid Bucharest (regular season start 2022-2023)
- Championship: 21 games, 11 wins, 5 draws, 5 loses –> 1.81 points / match
- Cup: 4 matches, 2 wins, 1 draw, 1 defeat –> eliminated from the competition
Final conclusions
Having these said, we should point out that Mutu, even he was some fresh blood, and obtained better results in the beginning of a season, comparing to Bergodi, he also kind off… failed, because:
- he missed the Europe League play-off in 2022;
- he qualified only for the play-off, but finished in a poor 5th position in 2023;
- he was eliminated, exactly like Bergodi from the Cup
Mutu did have a better start of the season, but he was already in charge of the team for six months so from this regard, his advantage over Bergodi was significant. The Italian come in short, one week before the start of the competition so no real comparison can be made. It is just the thing that Cristiano failed before at Rapid and no clue was indicating that he will produce something notable and he didn’t. Rapid could have been in the same position with Mihai Iosif. A guy that, basically, promoted Rapid and insured the ascension back to the first league. But Iosif didn’t earn 15.000 euro / month as apparently does Bergodi. This is the whole point, in the end.