Interview of Zira head coach Rashad Sadygov to Idman.biz website
- How are the preparations for the game you will play against Neftchi in the 31st round of the Premier League going?
- Considering that the end of the season is approaching, there is a lot of pressure on us. But all of us are doing our best so that this pressure does not affect us. In the next round, we have a game against Neftchi. The opponent improves their game from match to match. We saw a confident result against Araz-Nakhchivan in the last match. We are in the neighboring position in the tournament table. There is a difference of 1 point between us. We will try to do our best and leave the game with a good result and win. But it is difficult to predict how the meeting will go. Because we have a historic team in front of us. There is a well-formed team and an experienced coach.
- You said that there is pressure on you. Will the fact that you haven't won for 7 matches be an additional pressure on Neftchi? Have you talked to the players about this?
- We talked about it with the players and among us. If you remember the last games we played in Neftchi Arena, we were the dominant side in those matches. We could not take advantage of the opportunities we had. Neftchi won by taking advantage of the only opportunity they created. Actually, the match that ended 1:1 at home was more difficult for us. It is difficult to predict in advance the matches with Neftchi.
- You started the season well, but later the club experienced a decline. In the last matches, you make a confident impression. How did you assemble the team?
- We worked with the same program, we did the same work. Even when we did not win, there were games that I was satisfied with. There were matches where we won and I was dissatisfied with the team. We, the coaching staff, cannot be satisfied with one result. Therefore, before the result, we try to analyze the match and eliminate the problems in the game plan. If there is no result, if the game is good, we try not to make the players feel uncomfortable. But no matter how much we think about these points, football players are always affected by the result. There was one point that I was also worried about. We could not win; we could not score. Thankfully, the players were not disappointed. We are still in the race, fighting for medals.
- After a long break, we watched Araz Abdullayev on the field again. What do you think of his performance?
- Abdullayev's talent is known to everyone. He is a good player when he puts his mind to it. He can benefit every team. As long as he pays more attention to football, he should be careful.
- After the match with Sumgayit, you said that you are interested in working abroad. And what leagues would you like to work in?
- Frankly, as a football player, I did not think about any offer from outside the country, I tried to evaluate it. The coaching career is a little different, but it is still possible to think about it if there is an offer from the leagues of Russia and Turkiye from nearby countries.
- Recently, there have been rumors that the number of teams in the championship can be increased. How do you feel about it?
- There are negative and positive sides behind every decision. We can lose a team like Gabala when one team goes down and one goes up, if the number does not increase. It is not known how they will return to the Premier League after 1 year. On the other hand, if we continue with the principle that no one leaves and no one stays, it will also fail. We have seen for several years that this does not add special interest to the league. Let's say that 2 teams from the lower league come, this can change the principle and system of holding the championship. I don't know how effective it will be or not. Or are 2 teams ready to go to the major league? Here, a question appears. I definitely don't think we are ready for a 14-team system. I want our championship to have 18-20 teams, to play 2 rounds. But we have to go to that with time. Now I think we are on the right way, the number of teams is slowly increasing, the quality is not decreasing. We have to make a decision that is not harmful to our football and our clubs. The AFFA management will do the best and will give impetus to our football.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
