Aftandil Hajiyev: The level difference between "Qarabagh" U-19 and their opponents in the UEFA Youth League, and the development of youth football

There is a difference in level between "Qarabagh" U-19 team and their opponents in the UEFA Youth League.

Aftandil Hajiyev, the coordinator of the Aghdam representative's academy, made a statement about this to "Report".

He shared his thoughts on the team's match against "Copenhagen" of Denmark's corresponding age group, which they lost 0:5 the previous day:

"It is difficult to approach this issue unambiguously at the moment. We need to look at it globally. There are shortcomings in this age group, in terms of the squad. Previously, good players from the academy went to other teams. This is one of the reasons why the result is not good. But the most important thing is the clubs we face. All of their academies have been working systematically for many years, and they can form their squads with foreign players as well. They even turn it into a business project. We feel this in terms of the game when we face each of them. There is a significant difference in terms of the individual qualities of the players. But in any case, we would not want to face a big defeat."

A. Hajiyev said that the players are trying to show their skills:

"But this is not enough. The level difference speaks for itself. We are facing the best football academies in the world. "Benfica" and "Copenhagen" can also be cited as examples of this. We are waiting for strong clubs such as "Athletic", "Chelsea", "Ajax", "Napoli". All of them train high-level players. It would not be correct for us to compare ourselves with them today. In two years, we have provided players for the national team across the country. We have many players in our national teams of lower age groups. 11 of those who took part in the team that reached the final of the CIS Games play in "Qarabagh". But this is not enough for international games. We need to think systematically. The approach to children's football in the country must change. This requires years, great effort, investment, and infrastructure. Today, we do not expect great results from the players in the UEFA Youth League. But this is also a great experience for our coaches. We can benefit from it in the future."

It should be noted that the team, coached by Rashad Sadygov, lost 0:5 to "Copenhagen" in Baku the previous day. In the first round, U-19 lost 1:7 to Portugal's "Benfica" away.