"Azerbaijani volleyball players gaining experience on the European stage".
Idman.biz reports that Farid Jalalov, head coach of the Azerbaijan men’s national volleyball team, shared this in an interview with Report news agency.
He commented on the team’s 0:3 loss to Belgium in the European Championship qualifiers yesterday: “It’s hard to highlight positives when we lost 0:3. However, I am confident that our players are gaining serious experience on the European stage. Our players did their best. Five of the opponent’s players compete in the Italian league. Comparing them, we can see they are very strong.”
Jalalov also reminded that the national team consists mainly of young players: “I have repeatedly mentioned that our team is composed of young athletes. They are currently in the stage of gaining experience. There is a big difference between the squad from three years ago and the current team. Except for Kanan Allahverdiyev and Elmin Alishanov, all other players are new. We give opportunities to players who are appearing on the court for the first or second time. We aim to recruit young talents from the domestic championship to nurture them for the future.”
The coach believes the national team will achieve success in international competitions in the future: “I think our team should have a 3–4 year trial period to test themselves in such tournaments. In the coming years, I am confident we will become a strong team. One challenge is height, most European players are taller than our players.”
Azerbaijan will host Austria on August 16. Previously, the team lost 0:3 at home to Belgium and away to Austria.
Idman.biz
