Siyasat Askerov's interview, the head coach of the Azerbaijan national team, which consists of women's football players, to Idman.biz
- You will face the Turkish national team on May 31 and June 4 within the qualifying round of EURO-2025. What did you prioritize when forming the national team?
- We watch all the games of national football players as much as we try. Most of them play in the Turkish Super League. We pay attention to whether they get a place in the main first "11", how many minutes they get a chance. We keep each one under control. It is very important to perform in their clubs. The more they are on the field to play, the more they will perform in the national team.
- The meeting will be held in Erzincan. Can the Turkish national team play here for the first time cause any difficulties?
- The main reason why Turkish footballers play in Erzincan is to attract more fans to the stands. This is an advantage for them. The main goal is to keep us under pressure, but I don't think it will be a problem for us, because, we always pay attention to our game. We prepare ourselves to the maximum for the matches. Playing football in front of full stands is an advantage for us. This will not be a problem. Most of our girls who live a legionary life are used to playing in this kind of atmosphere.
- What is the goal in the matches with Türkiye?
- These games will determine our position in the group. Both away and home games are very important. We will try to get maximum points. However, we know that it will be difficult. Like us, they promoted from League C to League B. They prepare to the maximum for these games. If we have a chance to advance to the playoffs, these 2 matches are very important for us. We want maximum points. Even if this is not the case, we will try to win at least 1 point in every 2 games.
- Will it not be difficult to encourage the girls after the 0:4 defeat to Switzerland in Baku?
- We knew Switzerland would be the leader in our group. The quality of this team is high. We would not want to lose with this score at home, but this is an experience in itself. Before this match, we competed until the end in the away game against Hungary and won 1 point. The girls lost a lot of power there. We could not fully recover for the game against Switzerland. It is important for us how we get out of the group, how we go to the playoffs. Girls also understand the essence of this very well.
- Do you think we have a chance to leave the group?
- If we get good results in the games against Türkiye, our chances will increase. After these matches, it will be an added advantage that we will play at home against Hungary. Our goal is to resolve our fate in the group for the better before the game with Hungary.
Emin Aga
Idman.biz
