Neftchi has brought in new players, but we don’t know much about them. The best footballers from Latin America are those who’ve already played in Europe.
According to İdman.biz, former Neftchi head coach Tarlan Ahmadov said this in an interview with Sportal.az.
He spoke about the squad changes at Neftchi and also shared his expectations for the 2025/2026 season:
Qarabag usually prefers Brazilians who’ve played in lower leagues in Portugal or Spain because European football has a strong foundation. But bringing a player from clubs like Fluminense or Flamengo is something else entirely. Players coming from Venezuela or Bolivia may struggle to adapt here, because they haven’t experienced European football. What will happen at Neftchi? Just look at the coaches who’ve come to the club: Adrian Mutu, Miodrag Bozovic, Roman Grygorchuk. At least Grygorchuk had significant experience in Azerbaijani football. Neftchi is a tough club to work for, you need strong support from the management. I myself was head coach there for a year. I took the team from last place to 3rd, but in the end, as you saw... The club has a completely different strategy and approach. Everyone is watching this team closely. It’s always been the people's club, with a long-standing reputation. Big-name players have come from Neftchi. Just mentioning Anatoliy Banishevskiy is enough. Neftchi has had European, World, and Olympic champions in its squad. That’s why 2nd or 3rd place is often not acceptable. In recent years, the club hasn’t even been close to finishing 2nd. The team became champions in the 2021/2022 season but has since failed.”
According to Ahmadov, Neftchi had a squad strong enough to finish among the top teams even last season: "The relationship between the coaches and the new players at Neftchi will also be very important. Honestly, last season’s squad wasn’t bad either. That team could have delivered results. Samir Abasov took charge in October, and from that point on, changes could have been made to ensure the team finished among the top instead of 6th. But the disappointing part was losing to the underdogs. What will happen this season? How will the players get along with the coaches? What tactics will be used? The most important thing is whether the players suit the chosen tactics. There are many questions. Last season, Samir Abasov said, ‘I didn’t assemble this team.’ This season, he has the players he wanted. Teams like Qarabag, Sabah, and Zira are performing well, Araz-Nakhchivan has gotten stronger, and so has Turan Tovuz. The Tovuz club will not want to miss the opportunity they lost last season. The competition is intensifying. Will Neftchi be able to adapt to this level of competition and outperform their rivals? We can't say yet that after 4 seasons they will now become champions. Time will tell."
Idman.biz
