Idman.biz
The Azerbaijani national team of under-17 football players had to score at least seven points in the second round of the European Championship qualifying stage.
This was stated by the head coach of the mentioned team, Aqil Nabiyev.
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. Despite this, we did not give up the game, we secured a draw, and we could even have scored the winning goal. In general, the "toothlessness" of our forwards during the tournament, our inability to make the right decisions in the final shots, was the main problem. As a result, we drew in all three matches," he said in a statement to report.az.
The expert stated that the team could have achieved even better results:
"In terms of the game, we had to score at least seven points in this tournament. Maybe even nine points would have been possible. As I said, if we hadn't wasted the opportunities created, today we would have achieved a minimum of two wins and one draw, instead of draws 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 feeling of desire, character and fighting spirit in the team. Our approach to the game was positive – we were more attacking, controlling the ball and putting 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 for better final shots:
"As you know, gatherings in national teams last only 3-4 days. It is difficult to give the players a lot of things during this period. We work more on tactical preparation, and there is no wide opportunity for individual development. Nevertheless, we still try to work with the players both individually and in groups. But it is not possible to seriously increase the quality and level of the players in 3-4 days. From this point of view, the main work falls on the clubs. Players should work hard 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 Azerbaijani national team drew with Bulgaria (1:1), Lithuania (0:0) and Malta (2:2) in the II round of the European Championship qualifying stage.
