Interview with Elnur Abdullayev, the head coach of Shahdag Gusar, the champion of the II League, to the futbolinfo.az website
– You became the champion by finishing the season in the II League without defeat. What are your impressions?
– The championship was what we deserved. This is a double championship. In the sense that we did not face defeat during the season. Indeed, an undefeated championship is a wonderful thing. I always trusted my players. Believe me, even though we secured a place in the I League with 6 rounds left until the end of the season, I did not see joy in the children at that time. Because we had set ourselves a specific goal of winning the championship. Normally, if you win a place in the I League, this is also something like a championship. But this was not enough for us, we specifically aimed at the championship. We also achieved the championship that we deserved. I heartily congratulate my players, the club management and the fans of Shahdag Gusar.
– There was a serious championship fight between you and Shafa until the last round and in the end you were ahead of them by 1 point. Did you expect Shafa to be so competitive?
– If Shafa were not in the II League, we could have formalized the championship 6 rounds earlier. Indeed, there was a good fight between us. In the first round, we won against Shafa with a score of 7:1. After that, there was a 90 percent change in Shafa: they changed the coach and attracted experienced players to the squad. We already knew that it would be difficult from now on. The second round was more difficult for us than the first round. Since we were the leaders, our opponents played against us with a different motivation. Since we understood this, we looked at every match as a final. Our meeting with Shafa in Baku was equal to the final. We played that game well, our players did everything I asked them to do, and in the end we left the field with 1 point. This was a championship point. In the end, we became champions.
– Shahdag Gusar will play in the I League next season. What will be your goal? Will you be able to fight for the championship in this league as well?
– I can’t say anything about it right now. We will have a meeting with the management soon. I can provide information about it after I know what the management demands and what goals they set for us.
– In the II League, you were forced to play your games in Shamakhi. What is the situation with the renovation work at the stadium of Shahdag Gusar? Will you be able to host your opponents in the I League in Gusar?
– If we play our home matches in Gusar, we will start the matches with a 1:0 lead thanks to our wonderful fans. Hopefully, the stadium will be restored soon and we will host our opponents in Gusar.
– Has it been clarified whether the team captain Rahid Amirguliyev will help Shahdag Gusar as a player in the I League?
– We will talk about this with Rahid personally. This is something that the player himself must decide. I have told him to make the decision himself. If a player can play, if he has the strength, if he can help the team, then for me it does not matter what age he is. Whatever Rahid decides, we will treat him with respect. I am with him, I support him. Time will tell what he will decide.
Idman.biz
