Idman.biz
Azerbaijan's U-21 team earned one point in two matches it played this month in the qualifying round of the European Championship. The team, which lost heavily (0:5) in the away match against the Czech Republic, drew with Scotland in Baku (3:3).
Former head coach of the U-21 national team Samir Aliyev evaluated the results in his statement to futbolpress.az: "After the defeat against the Czech Republic, everyone could have thought that our team would also lose to Scotland, one of the favorites of the group, at home. Let's admit that the Scots are 2-3 heads above our team, they have quality players. However, our team managed to score a goal against a strong opponent and earned one point."
The specialist spoke about the appointment of Rashad Eyyubov as the new head coach of the team: "Of course, there could have been a victory in the game against Scotland, but we conceded a goal in the last minutes. One point is normal, it's good. Everyone knows that there are shortcomings and problems in the game plan. The head coach of the national team is new, he may not have that much experience. As time goes by, both Eyyubov will gain experience and our national team will perform better. We must support the national team and the coaching staff. Scoring 3 goals against a team like Scotland is a great indicator. This will increase confidence in the players. The game was a good experience."
Aliyev also touched upon the abolition of the legionnaire limit in the Premier League: "The abolition of the limit affects not only the U-21, but also the main team. After the abolition of the limit, it is obvious that 2-3 local football players are constantly playing in our teams. Most of those under the age of 21, with the exception of 1-2 people, almost do not play or get a chance for 5-10 minutes. When I was in the national team, I was constantly complaining about this issue - the lack of playing time for the players. Their playing is important for the national team to be better."
