Adrian Mihalcea has sent UTA Arad into Friday’s Superliga meeting with Petrolul Ploiești with a blunt message: after every physical duel, his players must rise quickly, even if they are left bleeding or lose a tooth. It is the kind of warning that tells you exactly what sort of match he expects on the final day of the first half of the regular season.
The UTA coach delivered that message on 04 noiembrie 2026, with his team still carrying the frustration of the loss to Dinamo, a game in which the decisive goal arrived while Dmytro Pospelov was temporarily off the field. That sequence has already fed the discussion around the result, but Mihalcea made it clear that his focus is on what comes next.
“Da, le-aș recomanda jucătorilor să se ridice cât mai repede, chiar dacă le va curge un pic de sânge sau își vor pierde un dinte, să se ridice și vedem ce va fi după,” he said.
Mihalcea wants the debate to stay on the pitch
That line captures the tone of his pre-match briefing. Mihalcea is asking for resilience, but he is also asking his players to keep their heads in the game rather than get drawn into the tension around the club.
He said the only thing that matters for him is winning the match with Petrolul: “O știți foarte bine și uitați-vă că ceea ce mă interesează, și nu doar declarativ, este cum vom reuși să câștigăm meciul cu Petrolul, și doar atât. Restul, dacă cealaltă parte, să spunem, sau cei din club doresc să discute, e problema lor.”
He was equally direct when asked about speculation around his relationship with the club’s leadership. “Dacă n-am dorit aproape niciodată să discut lucrul acesta în public, de ce aș face-o și acum? Când am ceva de spus sau cui am ceva de spus, spun direct. Dar trebuie să fim și conștienți, și realiști toți în același timp.”
In other words, he is not interested in turning the build-up into a public dispute. He wants the conversation narrowed to football, and specifically to UTA Arad against Petrolul Ploiești in etapa a 15-a.
A physical test after a difficult week
Mihalcea also acknowledged that there have been many conversations behind the scenes, but he stopped short of turning them into a public row. “Au fost foarte multe discuții, n-a fost doar o singură discuție. Nu neg faptul că înțeleg situația clubului, dar în același timp trebuie să vedem realitatea și să avem o comunicare încât să fim mai aproape de adevăr,” he said.
That balance matters. On one side is a team coming off a controversial defeat to Dinamo. On the other is a coach who is clearly trying to keep the group sharp, physical and focused for a match he sees as vital.
His “Garanții... doar cecuri în alb se pot da” remark underlined that he does not believe in empty promises, only in clear understanding and straight talk. But the most important point is the final one: “Mergem deja într-o zonă care nu are legătură cu meciul de vineri, un meci pe care, credeți-mă, ard să-l câștig! Așa că ar fi mai bine dacă am discuta despre acest meci sau despre echipă și nu despre celelalte probleme.”
That is the real message from Arad. Mihalcea wants urgency, toughness and concentration, and he wants them all to show up on Friday at 17:30. For UTA, the contest against Petrolul Ploiești is not just another fixture. It is a chance to reset the mood, answer the questions around the Dinamo defeat, and finish this stage of the season with a cleaner football story.
