The first half of the 2023/24 season in the Azerbaijan Premier League has ended.
Idman.biz reports that 10 clubs, which started the competition on August 4, went on a 143-day break.
90 matches took place in 18 rounds of the first two rounds. Participating teams tried to achieve success at the expense of both local and international football players. Five of these players played all matches without being substituted.
The only captain
As predicted before the season, Kapaz, which is in the group of outsiders, is currently fighting to stay in the Premier League. Nevertheless, the Ganja club has a clear leader. The Westerners, who changed their head coach, did not change their captain. Egor Khvalko stands out not only as a captain, but for his irreplaceability in all games. It is true that he is not the main captain of Kapaz and when Vurgun Huseynov appears, he is the last to carry the armband. However, Huseynov, who is in the last years of his career, got a chance in the starting team only once in the current season, and it is Khvalko who is better known as the captain. The 27-year-old defender was on the field for 1620 minutes in 18 games of the team he played for last season. This streak of the Belarusian legionnaire is unlikely to be on the field until the end of the season. Because the captain, who has already received three yellow cards, is on the verge of punishment. After the next warning, Adil Shukurov will be forced to look for an alternative for both captain and defense. However, it is not an exception that Egor spent two rounds in a disciplined manner.
The most experienced
Murad Khachayev stands out from the indispensables of the first half of the season because he has been playing in his current club for a long time. In the Premier League, the football player wearing only "Sumgayit" uniform participated in more than 100 games. The 25-year-old midfielder has won 1620 minutes in the last 18 rounds.
He can be considered a vice-captain like Khvalko. However, unlike the Belarusian, Murad rarely wears a bandage. Because the main captain Vugar Mustafayev and vice-captain Elchin Badalov don't play any matches. The probability of Murad being punished is not very high. A midfielder who receives two yellow cards in two rounds can end the season without being banned.
The right-hand of the debutant
Araz-Nakhchivan, which returned to the Premier League this year, drew attention with the fact that it gathered a team in a short period of time. A permanent member of the team was also found in the pre-season team. This is 25-year-old defender Turan Manafov. Although the irreplaceable player of Nakhchivan club has Premier League experience, he has become a leading figure in his current team. He managed to score 3 goals in 1620 minutes in 18 matches. It can be said that the player who was punished with only 1 warning was distinguished by his discipline.
Core of the defense
If Khvalko, Khachayav and Manafov have experienced the excitement of the Premier League in previous years, the other two are irreplaceable debutants. Gabala, which had to seriously change its staff in the summer, strengthened the defensive line with Lukas Africo. The 28-year-old Brazilian also spent the first half of the season without being replaced. He even managed to score a goal. The South American, who is considered the pillar of the back line, is on the verge of being punished like Khvalko. His passive has three alerts.
"Number 1"
If we look back, we will see that goalkeepers are indispensable in most cases. However, only one goalkeeper has been on the pitch in the current season. Thiago Silva, the glove owner of Zira, proved that he is "number 1" with his game. The 23-year-old Portuguese, who has been on the field for 1,620 minutes, guards the goal of the team that has conceded the fewest goals. He has conceded only 10 balls and is also leading in the number of dry games. Legionnaire received only one yellow card in two rounds.
Rotation and constancy seeking
There are no irreplaceable footballers in the other 5 clubs. This is related to the rotation of those teams. Qarabag took this step because of the successful performance in Europe. Playing successfully in both continental and national level tournaments, the team constantly rotates its staff. Sabah and Neftchi, the losers of the European Cups, are in search because they could not find their game in the Premier League. Sabail and Turan Tovuz, who dreamed of appearing on the continental stage, stand out for their unstable performances. It is for this reason that they did not have an irreplaceable player in their team.
Idman.biz
