Interview of former Azerbaijan national team midfielder Elmir Khankishiyev with Futbolinfo.az.
– How would you comment on our national team’s 0:5 away defeat to Iceland?
– I watched the game, if you can even call it a game. There was no connection between the lines in our team. It was as if the squad had been gathered from the street and brought to the match. Our defenders only kicked the ball forward aimlessly. We didn’t see any team play at all. I was very upset; they disappointed our people. In yesterday’s match, I can hardly say I liked anyone’s performance in our team. It was as if we didn’t even want to play football. Perhaps only our goalkeeper stood out a little – in one or two moments he saved us from conceding. But I didn’t like the performance of any of the outfield players.
– In this match, it seemed like the presence or absence of our midfield was irrelevant. Do you agree?
– Yes, you’re absolutely right. Our midfielders neither helped in defense nor contributed to the attack. Our defenders kept sending the ball over the midfield, and as a result, the Icelanders regained possession and came at us again. Yesterday, our midfielders had no role at all. To be fair, in the first half we didn’t defend badly overall. But clearly, we only had enough strength for 45 minutes. In the second half, we ran out of energy, lost focus mentally, and that’s why we suffered such a heavy defeat.
– The next opponent will be Ukraine on September 9. After such a disastrous start, what can we hope for in the home match?
– It will be a very difficult game for us. Our team must recover and at least give the Azerbaijani people some hope in this match. The players need to come together, unite, and put on a good performance to encourage the fans.
– Is it possible to take points from anyone in the qualifiers?
– I think we can beat Iceland in Baku. We tend to overrate Iceland. Despite the scoreline in Reykjavik, they are only slightly stronger than us – it’s not like they are France or Ukraine. With the right tactics and the right attitude from the players, it’s possible to play well against them and win in Baku. I believe we can finish the World Cup qualifiers with 3 points.
Idman.biz
