Idman.biz
"I will only work in the national team. There are offers, but it is not easy to make such a decision for someone who has worked in the Premier League for many years."
These words were said by the head coach of the Azerbaijani national football team, Aykhan Abbasov, in an interview with futbolinfo.az.
We present that interview.
– "Shamakhi" came out for the last round game against "Gabala" without most of the main squad members. How do you assess the match you lost (1:3) with the second squad?
– Some players left our camp earlier because we had a difficult season. They wanted to return to their families, and we created the conditions for this. We wanted to see players who had fewer chances on the field. Our young players also took their place in the squad. Our goalkeeper Salim Hashimov made his debut in the Premier League, I was happy about that. He performed quite well. You know that this meeting was no longer of serious importance for both "Gabala" and us. Nevertheless, there was an interesting fight on the field. Although the weather was rainy and the players were tired, they put their maximum strength in the last game of the season. We wanted to win points, but it didn't work out. However, I was happy to end a difficult season with such a competitive game.
– How do you generally assess your two-year activity in "Shamakhi"? Do you think your departure will make it difficult for the team to work in the next season?
– Our main goal was to strengthen in the Premier League and develop more and more every year. I think we achieved this. My first season in "Shamakhi" was more difficult. Because everything happened in a short time and the team had just returned from the First League. As you know, it is not easy for a team coming from the lower league to transfer in the first season, players hesitate. Nevertheless, in a short time we formed a fighting team and preserved our place in the Premier League.
We wanted to be stronger this season. The players already had experience and the newcomers quickly adapted to the team. Today, many ambitious clubs want to see the legionnaires of "Shamakhi" in their squad. Last season, Brahim Konate and Leroy Mikels were transferred to "Zira". There are also offers for our other legionnaires this season. From the local players, Rufat Abbasov was again distinguished by his stable performance, and Oruj Mammadov's game can also be noted. I was happy that Abdulla Rzayev joined the team after the winter break and performed successfully.
We had a chance in the national cup, but our opponent was "Garabagh". Although we won at home, we lost away. Maybe if there was another opponent, we could have gone further. There were also moments in the Premier League that if we had taken advantage of them, we could have achieved better results. However, we experienced certain problems in terms of experience and skill. The lack of a large squad and the youth of many players had their effect. Overall, I'm satisfied. The club was trying to rise to a more professional level every year. We tried to build the strongest possible team with a limited budget. It is gratifying that "Shamakhi" did not face the threat of relegation in both seasons. This is a serious result.
– Will you only work in the national team from now on, or can you also work in a club in parallel?
– No, I will only work in the national team. There are offers, but it is not easy to make such a decision for someone who has worked in the Premier League for many years. Nevertheless, it is a great honor to work in the national team. We want to focus all our attention on the team. We have difficult games ahead of us. For this reason, we have rejected other offers.
