I believe that our national team can reach a better level after Fernando Santos' departure.
Idman.biz reports that these words were said by Aslan Karimov, head of the AFFA Coaches Education Department, in an interview with AZERTAC.
Commenting on the dismissal of Fernando Santos from the post of head coach of the Azerbaijani national team, the expert said that this step is important for the development of the team: "During Santos' time, our team could only perform well in certain parts of some games. But the overall results were very poor, and the team regressed more and more every day. I think that our team can reach a better level after his departure. Currently, entrusting the national team to Aykhan Abbasov temporarily is the right decision. In general, it is more appropriate for a local specialist to lead the team. However, when we approach the topic professionally, we see that the head coach's tactical knowledge and coaching skills are not enough. The more important point is to build proper communication with the players, instill confidence in them and keep motivation at a high level. The player's belief in the head coach is a decisive factor in the team's success."
According to Aslan Karimov, in this regard, preference should be given mainly to local specialists: "Local coaches have closer contact with the players, they know their psychology well. But this does not mean that a foreign coach cannot cope with such a task. For example, Robert Prosinecki's time in the national team is always remembered fondly. He had a good relationship with the players, he was able to create self-confidence in them. Even those years were remembered as one of the best periods of our team. These qualities were also felt during Gurban Gurbanov's short-term activity. It just did not fully materialize because there was not enough time. Therefore, I think that the national team coach should first of all have the highest level of communication with the players."
Idman.biz