Former Azerbaijan national team defender Sascha Yunisoglu gave an interview to Sportal.az.
The Azerbaijan national team will face Iceland. Do you think our team can hope for a positive result in this match?
Of course, as always, we want to see good play and a good result. Even though Iceland is not among Europe’s strongest teams, compared to other opponents in our group, I would say they are the most suitable for us, and we can play for a result against them. But unfortunately, the recent matches of our national team do not give us much hope. I think our team faces a very tough challenge.
The most discussed topic is that after the cancellation of the foreign player limit, local players are not getting many opportunities. Could this affect the national team’s results?
If our national team players are not playing in the starting line-ups of their clubs, of course, it will have a major impact on the national team. But no one can promise them a permanent spot in the line-up. Local players must earn their places themselves. They need to trust themselves, work harder, develop, and be better than the foreign players. Honestly, I support the cancellation of the foreign player limit. This should be a big motivation for locals to improve. If you are good enough, you will play.
Do you think this cycle could be Fernando Santos’ last chance, or should trust in him continue regardless? Surely Santos must deliver results with the national team now?
In any case, a head coach is given a goal. If he cannot achieve it, there must be changes. Santos is a good coach. No matter how much we trust him, ultimately the management will decide. Our national team has not yet reached the level where coaches like Santos should be working with it. At this stage, having a local coach for our team would be better.
Santos’ squad selections are also always discussed, especially this time. He did not invite Mehdi Jannatov, who has played more among locals this season, nor Rufat Abdullazada, who plays in the Croatian league. Do you think the selections were fair?
It is difficult to judge this from the outside. We think these two players should have been invited. But perhaps for some reasons, Rufat and Mehdi were not called up. In general, though, we can say the best available players were invited. Santos cannot be blamed either, as the pool of players is not that wide. This is what we have.
How many points can the national team collect from the two matches against Iceland and Ukraine, and how many points would be satisfactory?
To say six points from two matches would sound like some kind of miracle. Four points doesn’t look convincing either. If we get three points from these matches, it would be considered a good result. But realistically, we should even be happy with 1–2 points.
Wouldn’t three points in Reykjavik reflect our team’s chances and ambitions in this group?
I don’t like making predictions. A win for our team would indeed raise our ambitions and hopes. At the same time, it would make our next job much harder. Because a victory in Reykjavik would send a signal to other opponents to play against us with double motivation in the following games.
Could “Qarabag” reaching the Champions League group stage give motivation, belief, or a push to the national team and other players?
“Qarabag” qualifying for the Champions League group stage gives great hope and motivation not only to players but to all Azerbaijani football fans. “Qarabag” has brought new light and color to our faded football. Let’s hope that this positive mood also positively influences our national team’s performance and that our team makes us happy in the next two matches. I wish them success.
Idman.biz
