Former national team coach Arif Asadov believes that Azerbaijan’s U21 squad, led by Aykhan Abbasov, has strong potential and could outperform previous youth teams.
Speaking to Idman.biz following the friendly match between Belarus and Azerbaijan’s U21 teams, Asadov emphasized that the result of such games isn’t the primary focus:
"In friendly matches, head coaches usually evaluate players and experiment with tactical setups. From that perspective, the result against Belarus isn’t particularly important."
Asadov noted that the Azerbaijani side started the game with an advantage:
"Our team had the upper hand early in the match and even scored first. The turning point came around the 30th minute."
According to Asadov, this period under Aykhan Abbasov, who took charge in March, is a phase of exploration:
"It's important to assess players properly and learn from defeats. There’s a lot of talent in this squad. Compared to previous teams, this one promises better results. I would especially highlight the performances of Edgar Adilkhanov, Agadash Salyanskiy, Murad Mammadov, and Rufat Abbasov."
Despite a 1–3 loss to Belarus, the U21 national team will continue its preparations with another friendly on June 8, facing Montenegro’s U21 team at the Mehdi Huseynzade Stadium in Sumgayit.
Murad Abdullazada
Idman.biz
