Neftchi head coach Yuriy Vernydub has shared his views on football in Azerbaijan, praising the overall level of the league while expressing concern about the quality of some playing surfaces.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the Ukrainian specialist said he enjoys working in Azerbaijan but believes that several stadiums still need improvements, particularly those with artificial pitches or poor grass conditions.
“In general I like working in Azerbaijan. The only thing that causes dissatisfaction is that some clubs play on artificial pitches, and on several stadiums the quality of the grass leaves much to be desired,” Vernydub told futbolinfo.az. “As far as I know, the pitch of Imishli in Guba is in poor condition. We have not played there yet, so I cannot judge from personal experience, but from the outside it looks very bad. That is why I support Gurban Gurbanov – he also complained about this stadium.”
The Neftchi manager also commented on the overall level of the Azerbaijani Premier League, suggesting that several clubs would be capable of competing strongly in the Ukrainian championship.
“Teams such as Sabah, Qarabag and Neftchi could fight for high places. All three clubs are at a good level,” he said. “The absence of a limit on foreign players may have some disadvantages for Azerbaijani football, but overall it is a positive factor because the league has many quality foreign players. Even teams near the bottom of the table have strong legionnaires.”
Vernydub added that Qarabag and Sabah could potentially compete for the Ukrainian title, while Neftchi could also achieve solid results if the team manages to stabilise its performances.
