Sport24.az
After the postponed match of the 1st round of the Misli Premier League "Sabah" – "Qarabağ" (2:1), the head coach of the home team, Valdas Dambrauskas, answered journalists' questions. Sport24.az reports that the expert first shared his thoughts on the meeting...
– I congratulate my players. I want to praise them. We showed an incredible performance. We played magnificently against a team that made a name for itself not only in Azerbaijan but also in Europe. There was a great atmosphere in the stadium. It was a good, quality game for the fans.
– It is easy to climb to the top, it is difficult to maintain it. Will you be able to maintain your leadership until the end?
– We will look at the tournament table at the end. I also told the children in the dressing room that there is still one game ahead. We need to have a good recovery training tomorrow. We must show the same performance on the first day. Rivals approach us differently. They do everything they can to stop us. Overall, I am satisfied with our development and we must continue it.
– You often expressed dissatisfaction with your players. What were you unhappy with today?
– There were moments in today's game that I was unhappy with. "Qarabağ" gave us gaps on the flanks in the first half, and although we created a numerical advantage and entered the penalty area, we could not take advantage of it. It can be difficult if you can't take advantage of such episodes against top teams. We played better in the second half. We created a lot of goal chances today. We need to look at the pressure we put on the opponent. I don't remember any team playing like this against "Qarabağ". I was not satisfied with the first 10-12 minutes of the game. We showed too much respect for the opponent. We didn't perform well in transitions. We have a lot to fix.
– What are the plans for the squad? Will there be arrivals and departures?
– I am very happy with this squad. We have potential players and we can increase it even more. We have injured players – Jesse Sekidika, Ziden Khaled. Jesse was one of the top scorers last season. We hope he will recover his form in a short time. Khaled has been injured for more than three months. They have not yet shown their potential. We should not rush into new transfers. We will talk to the management. Future players must fit our style. If there is an option, we will discuss it in detail without rushing.
– Are you thinking of starting negotiations now to keep Maluda in the team?
– I am a coach, not a sports director or a manager. My job is to improve the skills of the players. Aaron is young, smart. He does great things. We are happy with what he does. But he has the potential to increase it even more. His fate in the club is not up to me. You need to ask the club management about this.
