The head coach of Azerbaijan's U16 men's volleyball team, Jahangir Seyed-Abbasi, shared his thoughts in an interview with Idman.biz.
- The national team will participate in the Eastern European Volleyball Zonal Association (EEVZA) Championship. What are your expectations from the team?
- To be honest, this team was just formed a month ago. We selected the players based on their physical characteristics from various regions. We’ve only been training with them for one month, and many of them had no prior experience with volleyball. Our focus has been on teaching them the fundamental technical aspects of the sport. So, we can't expect too much from these kids. However, I believe they will become significant figures in volleyball in the future.
- Due to health issues, you won’t be attending the competition. Will this create any difficulties for the team?
- Our hardworking and young local coach will be with them. Since my arrival in Azerbaijan, he’s been working with the main team alongside me. Additionally, a highly qualified Turkish expert, Cengiz Akarcesme, is also working with the team. I don’t think my absence will cause any problems. They will give their best, and I’m confident that my presence won’t be missed.
- How is your health currently? Is the issue serious?
- Thankfully, it’s not serious. We've recently started training with the U-18 team at the Sumgayit Olympic Sports Complex. Due to the Federation's forward-thinking approach, they will compete in the Azerbaijan Super League. The team is training twice a day, focusing on fitness and ball drills. We've also set up a regional team, Sumgayit, and sent one team to Estonia. We've been training in various gyms, but I fell ill because of the intense schedule. The doctor said I was under a lot of stress and needed to rest. Due to the long distance, the doctor advised me not to travel for the competition. Unfortunately, this happened right before our team’s departure.
- When will you return to working with the team?
- We also have another team here, and we continue working with them without any interruption. We train every day with the youth team that will compete in the Super League. After the team returns from Estonia, we will continue to monitor them closely.
- What are the goals for the team at the EEVZA Championship?
- Since the team is new, they still have a lot to learn, and that will take time. They will do their best representing Azerbaijan. They are our future, and we need to give them time to develop. We must be patient. I’m confident that we will see and hear a lot of great things from this team in the future.
Banuchichek Huseynli
Idman.biz
