NO DESPAIR

At the end of each year, the Azerbaijani football community chooses the best coach. In 2019, the national team disappointed the fans, while Garabagh was successful among the other clubs. Having succeeded in the group stage of the Europa League for the fifth time in a row, Azerbaijan's champion was able to keep the track of success until December.

Gurban Gurbanov, the head coach of Garabagh, retained the champion title in 2019 and then was qualified for the group stage of the Europa League.

In his interview, the best coach of the year shared his assessments of the past season and expectations this year.

"Once again, at the end of the season you are elected the best coach of the year. For the tenth time you won the poll of the newspaper Komanda. Do you consider this award something ordinary now?"

"First, I thank everyone who voted. Becoming a coach of the year following the results of the voting of journalists is extremely pleasant. I believe it was not an easy choice. Each time I receive a reward, I feel even more responsible. I will try to be among the best in the coming year as well. Voters rely on us, and we must live up to their expectations. A reward can never be ordinary, each has its own significance. Throughout the year, Garabagh has tried to bring joy to its fans. And this award is encouraging."

"You have been repeatedly elected the Best Coach of the Year by various organisations. Is it possible to update the record of Gurban Gurbanov?"

"Football does not stand still, it is constantly developing. We try to constantly work on ourselves. There are good coaches in our country. Everyone seeks to achieve results with his club. Therefore, it is difficult to say what will happen in the future."

"How successful was the year 2019 for you and Garabagh?"

"In 2019, we set ourselves a goal to become the champion of Azerbaijan. And we made it. Then we expected to reach at least the playoffs stage of the UEFA Champions League. It did not work out. But we completed the minimum program by making it to the group stage of the Europa League. After this, like every year, there is a desire to take at least the second place and go to the next stage. We could not yet…

Nevertheless, I respect every opinion. Every year we dream of moving at least one step further. Not to lose courage that is. We are trying to achieve more. Football is a collective game. There are nuances that do not depend on our will. But in any case, I think the year was not so bad for our team. We let our fans feel the tournament. They became direct participants in this spectacle. A team such as Sevilla arrived in Baku. We played well against them. We managed to do this together with our football players, the club management, and its employees. I thank everyone for completing such a difficult year, albeit with little success."

"Garabagh has been a successful team in recent years. Are you afraid of a failure next season?"

"Believe me, I feel it every year. After all, everyone is interested in football. You all follow European football and you see that great clubs, outstanding coaches, successes are not constant. I always cite Barcelona as an example. During the tenure of Guardiola, they won the Champions Cup twice in five years. But they could become Spain's champions only three times. Then Guardiola left the team. There are many similar examples. Remember Jurgen Klopp from Real Madrid. I find such ups and downs normal. This can happen to every coach. I worry every year, before every tournament. Expectations from a championship and group stage are different. Of course, I don’t want this to happen. But I am always ready for this."

"Garabagh is qualified for the Europa League. Since the rivals in the group were relatively weak teams, everyone immediately started talking about the playoff stage. Why did Garabagh fail to leave the group? What were the mistakes?"

"We talked a lot about this. I do not agree with the thesis of the weakness of rivals. Although they played with teams of their own level, not one of them was weaker than us. The fans' dreams are normal. They wanted to see us in the playoffs. Compared to previous years, in 2019 we were in a group with rivals of relatively same level. However, experience, the difference in the number of games played over the year, and other points did not allow us to achieve what we wanted. As a team, we have tried for years to get into the group, but had not been able to achieve this right away. Many years later, Garabagh became the champion of Azerbaijan and become qualified for the Europa League. Yes, we did not leave the group, but we must not lose courage. We must try even harder. Work on our mistakes. The goal should remain the same. We must prove that we deserve to leave the group."

"Each time with transfers, there are discussions about the "thriftiness" of Garabagh in selecting footballers. Are there enough funds for transfers?"

"The club management pays enough attention to transfers. We have the necessary funds. We just do not want to sign an agreement with every player. Sometimes the selected legionnaire does not want to transfer, but sometimes we refuse the transfer despite the player's intention to play for Garabagh. A foreign footballer is primarily interested in the championship of the country to which he comes, as he wants to move to a larger championship in the future. Sometimes we are asked for too much. We must be extremely careful in transfers. Adaptation to our country, getting used to the team are very important factors. Believe me, every year we try to make the best choice. And we had a lot of successful transfers."

"The departure of Brazilian Richard Almeida came as a surprise. Was it because of money?"

"We could not reach an agreement on money, yes. However, he asked for some time, perhaps, because of his age and consultations with his family. He is still in Brazil and the question remains open. He has been with us for many years, is one of the main players in the team. Without him, we will definitely have to resort to other options. In any case, we treat his decision with respect."

"Every year, there are rumours that foreign clubs are interested in Mahir Amrali, but there is no progress. They said that there was a proposal for his transfer either to Sevilla or Fenerbahce. What is really going on?"

"Currently, there is no official proposal. We can discuss this once such proposals are available."

"What can we expect from Garabagh in 2020?"

"We are in the preparatory period for now. The team needs to become stronger. Negotiations are ongoing. We are still looking for the goalkeeper, striker, as well as football players in other positions. There is still enough time before the completion of the transfers. Therefore, the players are in no hurry. We compare all offers. Garabagh is not a simple club. This name doubles our responsibility. In 2020, we will try to give fans more joy. To compete in European competitions, it is necessary, first of all, to become the champion of Azerbaijan. Now we are leading. But we have another 14 rounds until the end of the championship. We continue the competition in the Azerbaijan Championship. We will think about European competitions when we become champions. We are aware of the expectations of our fans. In 2020, we will try to meet these expectations."