PLAYING THE BALL

Azerbaijani football community is in search again. After the departure of Italian head coach Gianni De Biasi, everyone is interested to know who will lead the national team this time.

No way to go back

To start with, let us try to evaluate the performance of the famous Italian footballer and coach De Biasi in Azerbaijan. Indeed, his debut was not successful. Under his leadership, the national team lost at home to Luxembourg in the first game (1:2). This was followed by a 1:0 victory over Cyprus in the Nations League. After goalless draws with Montenegro and Luxembourg, there were opinions that De Biasi should be given time to work with the team. In his previous job, he led the Albanian national team to the European Championship for the first time in history. The Azerbaijani national team had hopes that he could once again create a "miracle". Unfortunately, the hopes remained only hopes. Periodic conflicts between the coach and the players did their job, and the national team lost one game after another.

The team also failed in the qualification round of the European Championship 2024. After gaining 7 points in the last matches, the players failed to show the required performance level. Five consecutive wins last year, which De Biasi pitched as a personal success, did not solve the problem. These were three wins in the Nations League and two in a friendly match were interesting for statistics only.

It was expected that the contract with the Italian coach appointed in July 2020 would not be extended, especially since he had a scandal with journalists after the final games. So the contract expired, and the executive committee of the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA) decided to part with him.

De Biasi is remembered by fans only for his unsubstantiated promises, although the national team could reach four qualification tournaments in the last three years. De Biasi, who played 39 games with the team, gave fans the joy of victory in 10 matches only. While eight matches ended with a draw, 21 were nothing but defeat. The goal difference is also not encouraging - 34:56.

To understand and to act

Along with the De Biasi factor, we should not forget about the problems that exist in national football. Coaches change, but the result is the same.  It is still difficult to find 11 players who match the level of a national team player. For the national team to be strong, the championship of Azerbaijan should be improved in the first place. Today, it is a platform where the only prominent team is Garabagh only. Other clubs are lagging behind the champion by a serious margin.

The national team is an indicator of the level of football in the country. The national team is getting its potential from the teams of younger players. But the Azerbaijani U-17, U-19, and U-21 teams are also performing poorly. This is yet another alarming argument as far as the future of the country's main team is concerned.

Currently, there is probably no need to invite a foreign coach for million dollars. Maybe it would be better to spend this money to children's football by giving the team to a local coach. Clubs can also support the federation in this situation. Azerbaijan has enough talented teenagers with potential, but it is necessary to work with them, to lay the necessary foundation. As a result, the underage national teams and the main team do not show the expected performance. If there are no players of the proper level in the country, what is the point of inviting an expensive foreign coach? Most of the players of the Albanian national team, with whom De Biasi made history, played at continental championships. In case of Azerbaijan, it is possible to change the situation only by improving the care for children's football in 5-6 years.

The country's leading football experts are now looking for a local coach. However, the AFFA leadership will have the final say.

Expert opinions

Former national team coach Yunis Huseynov supports the idea of developing local specialists. "I don't believe in significant changes in the current situation. We should not think about hitting the top or even the second positions in relevant group rankings. It is wrong to expect that at the moment. Because we don't have a big pool of players. Each specialist has his own point of view. We have 150-200 players, of which only 20-25 can rightfully play in the national team," Huseynov said.

Prominent footballer Mahir Emreli, who plays for the national team, said he did not interfere in the coaching process. "It is up to AFFA and the executive committee to decide. I feel I am a soldier in the national team. I sincerely want to play in the national team. To wear the uniform of this team is every footballer's dream. Success is a different beast in this case. I want to play brave football. The national team can lose, but it is important to show a decent fight. Even if you lose, you must enjoy the match, fight, keep the ball, create difficulties for the opponent."

"Some think that it doesn't matter whether the head coach of the national team is local or foreign. But it is wrong. He should definitely be local. Our football is different. We work with the ball. Our football mentality is that we play with the ball. In Europe, they do the same in Portugal and Spain. I do not mean to say that we should invite a coach from these countries. I mean that when one invites a coach, one should pay attention to it. I have been saying for 30 years that the national team should be coached by a local specialist," said former head coach of the national team Aghasalim Mirjavadov.