Interview with "Shafa" head coach Elgiz Karimli for Sportal.az.
In two days, you will play your first match of the new season. Can the team be considered 100% ready for the season?
It’s difficult to have the team 100% ready before the championship. League games are faster-paced and more intense. Players can reach their maximum physical and psychological readiness after 3–4 rounds.
What concerns or worries you most before the season starts?
In the preseason friendlies, we created many scoring chances. What worries me is that we scored very few goals and didn’t capitalize on most of those opportunities.
Interestingly, the team has only one foreign signing, Amir Ebrahimzadeh, an Iranian citizen originally from Azerbaijan. Do you think playing without more foreign players will be difficult, given that your main rival “Sabail” has foreign signings?
When the club invited me, they informed me in advance that we would not make foreign signings. The club’s strategy is to play only with Azerbaijani players and develop them. I accepted this because I liked it. After agreeing to these conditions beforehand, it wouldn’t be right to make excuses. I personally told management that even after qualifying for the Premier League, I do not want foreign signings.
Which team do you see as Shafa’s main rival in the championship race?
The First League is becoming more competitive every year. This year, teams will have more players with Premier League experience. I see our main rivals as “Mingachevir,” “Sabail,” MOIK, and “Zagatala,” which has strengthened its squad in the recent transfer window. “Baku Sporting” has also built a squad with First League experience. Other teams are made up of determined players, so no game will be easy. Clearly, all matches in the championship will be intense.
Does being considered a main contender for the title put pressure on you? Is the team ready psychologically for this?
Competing for the championship naturally adds pressure for every team aiming to win every match. However, our players have enough experience, so I am not worried about that.
Your player Nahid Aliyev plays for the U-21 national team. His performances against Portugal and Bulgaria were praised by the football community. I assume you watched the games yourself.
Yes, of course, I watched the games. Afterward, we spoke with Nahid and expressed our support. For a newly formed club, providing a player to the national team is a great achievement. He also played in the match against Bulgaria and joined our camp. He is an important player for us.
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