2024-03-17 07:48:58
“I thank my players. Even though we lost, they fought to the end in a very difficult game.”
As reported by İdman.biz, Qarabag head coach Gurban Gurbanov stated this at a press conference held after the return match (3:2) against Bayer in the 1/8 finals of the UEFA Europa League.
An experienced specialist said that his charges spent a lot of effort:
“I thank our wonderful Azerbaijani fans. Today we had 3 thousand fans with us. They were a great strength and support for the team. Congratulations to Xabi Alonso, they advanced to the next stage. I wish success to both the opponent and us.”
– When will Azerbaijani clubs be able to defeat such teams? What, in your opinion, was not enough to win?
– We had a chance, we wanted to use it. We should go through these stages more and gain experience. What does it mean to endure to the end in such games. Because we must be extremely prepared for such opponents. We have to experience European football, the dynamics. In any case, the age of our club and Azerbaijani football in general is very young. If we have reached this stage, we must make the most of it. It is clear that we need to work more on ourselves. We must eliminate the missing aspects.
In such games, one mistake or a red card leads to this result. We must look at everything realistically. The difference in the football level of Qarabag and Bayer is huge. Despite this, all players were ready and did not shy away from their opponents. This was important for me too. We need to improve the level of all our clubs. If several of our teams take part in these tournaments, our results will be even better.
– For Qarabag, the European Cup season has ended. In such tournaments, teams and coaches grow. In this sense, what did the season, which is considered fantastic in our country, give you? The team playing at this stage must have two equal compositions. Don’t you think the team is small for such games?
– Yes, it was a great experience. In general, such games every year are a great experience for me, the club and the management. Once again we see live what a high level football is at. There is the one we talk about and discuss, and there is the one we are involved in this matter. Indeed, in good games there are certain elements that decide the fate of the game, and we see this live. Today we see that in both games two goals scored were not enough to defeat Bayer. The Germans can score two or three goals to any team, they can do it.
It’s important to me that players get this experience. It is important that they see this speed and dynamics. When a player plays comfortably and when there is less pressure on him, he does not think about more football. But today’s game showed us what we need to pay attention to in order to play strongly and dynamically. What conditions should we train in, the speed of the ball, etc., there are so many things… During the two-day visit to the Bayer camp, I noticed many things. I will try to do this correctly in my team in the future. Overall it was a great experience for everyone. I saw once again that my plans today are not enough. I need to improve my experience, improve my knowledge and skills. This is how it must be if we want to grow. Perhaps my players should demand this.
As for the second part of the question, we need to look at everything realistically. We do what we can today. We try our best to have two teams. But maintaining two teams of the same level is not easy. Because you know the whims of football players. Most people want to play all the games and we can’t use them all year round. For the European level, 14-15 players of the same level are enough. But even if we have this, it is not enough for the European level. But we still do our best. We have a lot to do for our football.
– What do you think, seeing the joy of the victory of the most prepared club in Europe, such as Bayer, over Qarabag, which remained in the minority? What is more – hopes for the future or regrets?
– There are fans whom I haven’t seen for a long time, and we met them on the street. I would like to thank our fans who came to me from Baku, even from Boston. They make us love football more and make us more responsible. Believe me, I don’t feel sorry for myself. I’m sorry for the players and the fans, they were very confident. Before the game they said that even if you lose, we are with you. There is no greater support than this. I have stated many times that people in Azerbaijan love football and should not miss them. It is necessary to attract fans to the stadium. If a fan from Boston comes here, it means he loves us.
We also have a greater responsibility to want to win more and play braver. Just as they trust us, we must justify this trust. We all want there to be no mistakes. But in football this is inevitable. There were teams that allowed them in their time, and now because of this they are more prepared. But we still ignore these small mistakes from time to time. I believe that mistakes like these will make us and our players even better. Believe that we all treat the name “Karabakh” with responsibility and love. In the future we will try to improve our conditions. Today, we with the technical staff and so on may be weak due to other factors, but if we have faith, even if we lose to such teams, we will fight without hesitation.
Let us note that Qarabag lost with a score of 4:5 (2:2, 2:3) in the 1/8 finals of the Europa League and said goodbye to the tournament.
Banuchicak Huseynli
İdman.biz