Sabah has been eliminated from the Europa League. The Sabah were defeated in the first qualifying round by Celje (Slovenia) with scores of 2:3 and 3:3.
According to Idman.biz, former head coach of the Azerbaijan national team, Agaselim Mirjavadov, evaluated the matches in an interview with FutbolPress.
The experienced specialist noted a big difference between the two games: "In the second leg, Sabah looked more lively, motivated, and aggressive. Some things had changed in the team. It was clear they wanted to advance to the next round. However, the match going into extra time and the team’s fatigue allowed the opponent to score. The players of Sabah cannot be blamed. They did their best and worked hard, but it wasn’t enough."
He touched on the weaknesses of Sabah: "One of the key factors in football is desire. The team was indeed motivated and seemed well-prepared psychologically. But mistakes in the first match, especially defensive problems, caused them to lose the tie. In the final minutes of the first game, Sabah’s central defender lost his opponent and remained motionless, which resulted in a goal and possibly the decisive moment when the tie slipped away. Defensive issues are obvious. In yesterday’s game, the team’s right flank also did not look good, and Celje focused their attacks there. In their equalizing goal, our defender lost the opponent as well. Besides defense, there was a lack of creativity in midfield. Although the team’s flanks were active in attack, there were shortcomings in building play from the center. Sabah needs to solve this issue. They need new signings and the team must develop tactically."
Mirjavadov spoke about the new head coach Valdas Dambrauskas and shared his expectations for Sabah in the Premier League: "The head coach has just arrived. You can’t demand results or make judgments after only 10 days. But I can say there was a significant difference between the two matches. Mistakes were addressed and some changes were made. However, I still say it’s too early to make conclusions. As for the team’s goals in the championship… You know, 15 years ago, it was easy to say that 5-6 teams would compete for the title. Now it’s different. Only Qarabag is the main contender. It’s hard to say that anyone else will challenge for the title. But if there are many contenders, it would benefit Qarabag too, they would take games more seriously, and competition and quality would increase. I cannot say yet that Sabah will fight for the championship."
The former coach also talked about Sabah’s next opponent in the Conference League second qualifying round, Petrocub (Moldova): "Although the team was eliminated from the Europa League, their journey continues. This time the opponent is of a lower level than Celje, and Sabah should advance. There is a week left, and I believe they will prepare well and pass the round."
Idman.biz
