"The national team could not win in eleven games under Fernando Santos. Therefore, I was expecting the Portuguese specialist to be dismissed". These words were said by Nadir Nabiyev in his statement to Sport24.az.
The former member of the Azerbaijani national team commented on Santos' dismissal:
"The Portuguese coach not only failed to produce results in the Azerbaijani national team, but also had difficulty instilling his game philosophy in the team. His removal from the team is the right step. One of Aykhan Abbasov's advantages is that he can prepare the team psychologically for the game at a high level. Although he has little time, I hope that he will be able to tune the players to the match after a heavy defeat. In general, I have always been in favor of a local specialist working in the national team. That coach should also be given a few years. Hopefully, the new decisions will be beneficial for our nation."
It should be noted that Fernando Santos was appointed as the head coach of the Azerbaijani national team in June last year. AFFA mutually terminated the contract with the Portuguese specialist yesterday.