Report.az
The Azerbaijan national team U-17 should have scored at least 7 points in the second round of the European Championship qualifying round.
The head coach of the mentioned team, Aqil Nabiyev, said this in an interview with Report.
He spoke about the games held in Bulgaria:
"We played against Bulgaria in the first match. True, we started the match more controlled and as we wanted. But unfortunately, we conceded a goal from a standard situation. However, we did not break away from the game, we secured a draw, we could even have scored the winning goal. In general, the main problem during the tournament was the 'toothlessness' of our forwards, our inability to make the right decisions in the final shots. As a result, we drew in all three matches."
The expert stated that the team could have achieved even better results:
"In terms of the game, we should have scored at least 7 points in this tournament. Maybe even 9 points would have been possible. As I said, if we had not wasted the opportunities created, today we would have achieved a minimum of two wins and one draw instead of a draw in three matches. The good thing is that we create enough episodes in attack. But the main problem is in the final shots and making final decisions."
A. Nabiyev said that he was satisfied with the tournament in general:
"Because there is a desire, character and fighting spirit in the team. Our approach to the game was positive - we were the side that attacked more, controlled the ball and put pressure on the opponent. But as I said, the main difficulty arises in the opponent's penalty area. There, the final decisions and final shots are not at the level we want, and this affects the result."
The head coach emphasized that clubs have a great responsibility to ensure that the final shots are better:
"As you know, national teams have only 3-4 days of training camps. It is difficult to give players a lot during this time. We work more on tactical training, and there is no wide opportunity for individual development. However, we still try to work with the players both individually and in groups. But it is not possible to seriously improve the quality and level of players in 3-4 days. From this point of view, the main job falls on the clubs. Footballers should work a lot individually, especially on final shots, passes and decision-making. At the same time, it is important for them to work more in this direction in their clubs as well."
It should be noted that the Azerbaijan national team drew with Bulgaria (1:1), Lithuania (0:0) and Malta (2:2) in the second round of the European Championship qualifying round.
