Former coach of the Azerbaijan national team, Arif Asadov, speaks to Futbolinfo.az
– In their most recent friendlies, our national team drew 0–0 with Latvia and lost 1–2 to Hungary. What are your thoughts on the Latvia match?
– It was clear that Fernando Santos approached the game with the qualifiers in mind, fielding players in a system similar to what he plans to use there. While it wasn’t the final lineup, it was close to 70–80% of the optimal squad. As for the match itself, we didn’t play aggressively — it was more of a tactical performance. Our team focused on defense and played more reactively. We had some chances to score but failed to convert them. I wouldn’t say we played poorly or exceptionally well — there was just a visible lack of confidence. Considering Latvia’s level, we could have used a more assertive system and pushed for a win.
– In the second match, we faced Hungary and suffered another loss. How did the team perform this time?
– The tactical approach was more appropriate this time. Hungary is on the same level as our group opponents, so we again played reactively, but with some lineup changes. Having Renat Dadashov and Mahir Emreli together up front improved our attacking potential — we were able to retain possession in the final third. Overall, the team showed desire and a bit more aggression. Naturally, Hungary’s technical ability was higher, and they controlled much of the game and created many chances. Still, our team managed to respond with some promising attacks and even scored a goal. Toward the end, we nearly equalized. Comparing the two matches, the performance against Hungary was more confident — perhaps because we were playing at home in front of our fans. However, the lack of victory still shows a problem with self-belief.
– Under Fernando Santos, the team has yet to win in 10 matches. How would you assess this?
– This shows that Santos still hasn’t fully tapped into the potential of our players. I believe our squad enjoys playing offensively — we saw evidence of that in the Hungary match. Toward the end, when he brought on more attack-minded players and adjusted the system, our game visibly improved and we created more chances. Failing to win in 10 games could negatively impact our performance in the qualifiers.
– In the upcoming qualifiers, we’ll face France, Ukraine, and Iceland. Given the current form, are we at risk of a complete failure?
– I don’t think it’ll be a disaster. There’s still time. We trust that our players will be in better shape by then. The season just ended, and psychological fatigue has an impact. Everything can change by the time the qualifiers come around. We are capable of taking points from this group, the team has proven it in past years by beating sides like Sweden and Slovakia. The issue now is a lack of confidence, and that must be addressed.
Idman.biz
