Why are Azerbaijani forwards' goalscoring performances weak in the Premier League? - SURVEY

One of the negative trends observed in Azerbaijani football is the low productivity of local forwards. The fact that the top 6 players in the current Misli Premier League's top scorers list are foreigners is proof of this. After the XXIX round, the list of the most productive players is headed by "Qarabag"'s Portuguese midfielder Leandro Andrade with 11 goals. Among the 13 players who have scored 6 or more goals, there is only one Azerbaijani player - Nariman Akhundzade. He has 8 goals.

What is the reason for this situation? Why are local players in the shadow of legionnaires in terms of productivity?

"Report" turned to veteran football players who were once top scorers in Azerbaijani championships to find answers to these questions. We bring to your attention their answers to our survey.

Nazim Aliyev: "Frankly, this issue also worries me. The legionnaire limit was abolished in Azerbaijan. Most of the foreigners transferred are also forwards. Teams think about the attack line first. But, for example, "Qarabag" has Azerbaijani forwards, and at least they should stand out. In recent years, there have been problems in the country in terms of training forwards. A forward should be able to score from any situation. These qualities are not visible in our football players. You see that after receiving the ball 2-3 meters from the goal, they want to hold it. However, in such a situation, the ball must be shot directly into the goal. Because there are defenders and a goalkeeper in front of you. I would not say there is a shortage of personnel. Anatoli Banishevski was the reason why I played well with my head when I was playing football. After training, I worked on myself. He also gave his advice. He explained to me what position to stand in during the game, where to run. The player must love his profession."

Rovshan Ahmadov: "One of the main reasons is that there are many legionnaires. Clubs prefer to transfer more forwards. They are forced to play the incoming legionnaires, regardless of whether they are good or bad. Everyone is trying to get results and does not want to be relegated from the Premier League. Therefore, there are problems in the country's football in this regard. Currently, the number of our teams has increased and there seem to be potential local forwards. I hope that from the next season, Azerbaijani football players will be top scorers."

Nadir Nabiyev: "In recent years, not only attack, what position can we train football players for? Let's take a look, who are the forwards playing in the national championship? There is no choice either. Abroad, the head coaches of national teams can choose football players very easily. Who can we show? A few years ago, coaches had difficulty choosing defenders. Because there was a lot of competition in defense. The same situation arose with the attack line as well. But now we are trying to "nationalize" some football player. We have difficulties with all positions. Attention should be paid to children's football, academies, as well as coaches and the training of football players should be monitored. I would not say that the problem is purely related to the bringing of foreigners to Azerbaijan. Before, everyone playing in all positions could score. Now see who stands out from the locals? I don't know how many more years we will wait for football players to be trained? What is written on paper must be applied. There are so many problems in children's football... Football players must also be trained with character. That is, the matter does not end with creating conditions. We say that there is no field. Supposedly, what will change if there is? There were no fields before either. So why were football players trained? Therefore, it is necessary to monitor."

Kanan Karimov: "There used to be many quality forwards. Recently, there are almost no forwards being trained. There are only a handful of local football players playing in attack. In my personal opinion, every academy or club needs a qualified specialist to train forwards to oversee the process. But there is no such specialist in any club. As a result, quality decreases. Every club should have a coach who specifically oversees the training of forwards. In this case, productivity will be higher."

Vadim Vasilyev: "Local forwards do not set goals for themselves. There used to be many legionnaire forwards in Azerbaijan. But local forwards could be top scorers. For example, I set myself the goal of scoring against all the goalkeepers I met face-to-face. When I saw the goalkeepers, my eyes "bulged" and I thought I had to score. Our forwards are not looking for their strengths. I knew I played well with my head. For this reason, I was looking for a position to stand out with my head. There is also a technique for hitting. Children should work on themselves in this regard to master it."

Samir Musayev: "I think local forwards do not get enough chances in the Azerbaijani championship. I was able to score because I played in every game. Coaches trusted me and we tried to show ourselves. I cannot say the specific reasons why today's young people do not get a chance. Maybe the reason is that clubs are required to produce results. I assure you, if they play in every game, we can see local football players on the top scorers list at the end of the season. Also, in recent years, football players who have grown up in academies have developed a lack of confidence. Most likely, this is due to the large number of legionnaires in the country. Young people think that no matter how good they are, their places will be taken by legionnaires anyway. It is possible to feel these things when talking to them. This causes them to lose enthusiasm after the age of 18-19. There is another issue as well. When local football players in the main team do not score a goal in a game, coaches often do not give them a second chance. However, it should not be like this. Clubs also train football players for the national team. Why should we rejoice in the success of others? Currently, almost only "Qarabag" gives chances to locals. Even if he doesn't score often, Nariman Akhundzade is trusted regularly. If there is no trust, if you create more chances for legionnaires, the local football player will not give you anything."