Faig Garayev, head coach of the Azerbaijan women's national volleyball team, has commented on his team’s disappointing performance in the CEV European Golden League.
Idman.biz, via Report, reports that Garayev explained that the absence of several key players due to injury had a major impact on the team’s performance, Idman.biz reports:
“The Golden League didn’t go well for us. Several leading players were sidelined with injuries, which created serious challenges. Ayshan Abdulazimova and Margarita Stepanenko couldn’t support the team due to health issues. Although they were with us in Baku, they were not cleared by the medical team to participate in training. Additionally, Anastasia Baiduk and Anastasia Mertsalova were injured in the opening match. Their recovery is now ongoing under medical supervision.”
Garayev stressed that the tournament had strategic value:
“This competition was important from a ranking perspective. Of course, we wanted better results, but due to various reasons, we couldn’t achieve our goals.”
Looking ahead, Garayev said the team will be fully focused on preparing for next year’s major tournament:
“Our main goal is EURO 2026, which will be held in Baku. We aim to field our full roster of key players and deliver a strong performance. We believe we can succeed in this prestigious event hosted on home soil.”
Azerbaijan lost all their matches in the Golden European League: 0–3 to Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Romania, and 1–3 to Montenegro and Croatia.
Idman.biz
