Sport24.az
Ahead of the "Zira" - "Hayduk" match of the II qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League, a press conference was held by the head coach of the opposing team, Gonzalo Garcia Sadigov. Sport24.az reports that the Split club's coach answered journalists' questions.
"Eurocups are starting, we are ready to compete. "Zira" is also one of the strong opponents. We also liked the country, we want a good result in tomorrow's game."
- The head coach of "Zira" has been leading his team for many years. You are new to "Hayduk". Could this be an advantage for the opponent in tomorrow's match?
- Of course, these are important facts. Rashad Sadigov has been the head coach of "Zira" for 5 years. The team knows what he wants, we will play against a formed collective. We are a new team, we are just forming. We are working to implement ideas. "Zira" has had the same head coach for a long time. This means that the club is acting in a planned manner.
- You have analyzed "Zira". Do you think "Hayduk" is stronger, or "Zira"?
- The chances are equal. "Zira" has positive aspects, they have been playing together for a long time. We have young and hungry players.
- Ivan Rakitic has already finished his career. Is his retirement a loss for you?
- Of course, it would be a positive thing for Rakitic to be on the field. We are talking about a top player, he has performed at a high level for many years. We hope that he will help us in his new role. Losing such a player reduces quality.
- Is there a player in "Zira" that you pay special attention to?
- No. We don't look at individuals. We usually prepare according to the opponent. The opponent has strong, experienced players. I can also mention Giorgi Papunashvili, Junior Martinsh. They are quality players. But we prepare for the opponent as a collective. We pay attention to the abilities of our own players.
- You have been appointed as the new head coach of "Hayduk". What have you changed between last season's team and the current one?
- Good question. When I was invited to the club, the wish was that the team play attacking football, control the ball. This does not mean that these things did not exist before me. They were doing these things before.
- Looking at "Hayduk"'s previous performances in European Cups in recent years, they have had unsuccessful results. There are games like "Gzira United", "Ruzomberok", "Tobol". Does this bother you? Losing in games where you seem to be the favorite, not being able to pass the stage?
- This is a reality. The team has not performed well in European Cups for 15 years. "Hayduk" is a big club, it has a large fan base. The point you mentioned may have a certain effect. But it mostly does not affect the player and the head coach, we start from scratch every time, we prepare for the game. Whatever happened in the past, happened. We will train today and play tomorrow.
- There are losses in defense at "Hayduk" and in attack at "Zira". How will this affect your team?
- Of course, it is better to have the whole team at your disposal. Good teams should perform better in such cases. We must be ready for this. Players do not play for different reasons. We will try to eliminate these issues with the players we have.
