THE MAIN TARGET SHOULD BE EURO 2016

After the qualifying stage of the European football championships, everyone wondered about the fate of the Azerbaijan head coach, Berti Vogts. Finally, the Executive Committee of AFFA held a meeting, which unanimously decided to leave the German specialist in his post. A new two-year contract was signed with Vogts. Immediately after that, many observers began to remember the pros and cons of his previous work in the team. But we think now it is pointless, and it is better to analyze all the "pros" and "cons" of the German specialist's future work, which will make it possible to make certain predictions.

Why did Berti Vogts have to stay?

The fact that the Azerbaijani national team is headed by Vogts is a good advertisement for national football. It is no secret that he is a global specialist. It was under his leadership that Germany won the title of European champions. In other words, Vogts is not only a famous footballer, but also a coach with good results.

In addition, while compiling the schedule of matches preceding qualifying games, his opinion as a specialist is taken into account. And this gives the national team an advantage in the group stage games.

Vogts has been working with the Azerbaijani national team for almost four years. This is quite a long time to get acquainted with local football and players. The German specialist, who has already adapted to local conditions, got a chance to study the abilities of each player and identified the strengths and weaknesses of candidates for the national team, which is essential for the coach.

The study of players recruited from the younger age group should not be a problem for Vogts, because his compatriot Bernhard Lippert works with them on the basis of his system.

The main factor in favour of Vogts is that the team is pleased with his work. This is important when you consider that the current players will form the core of the team in the next qualifying stage. In each interview, the players state their desire to see Vogts leading the team and to work under his leadership. 

Consequently, the national team has taken shape as a single team, and a good atmosphere reigns in it. Thus, Vogts is leading the national team again, and therefore, there will be no need for a new coach to spend time on his adaptation. In addition, another plus in favour of the German is the 7 points scored at the current qualifying stage. Not a single coach gained so many points for the national team of Azerbaijan before Vogts.

Vogts cannot complain

Of all the coaches who worked with the national team during the period of independence, the best conditions were created for Vogts. Imagine that in 2011, the national team players trained under his leadership for as many as 87 (!) days. Although the 7 points gained under Vogts' leadership are considered to be a historic result, it should be noted that had Armenia not been a rival of our team at the time when Sahin Diniyev was the coach, the national team could have gained 8 points. Taking into account the conflict between the two countries, UEFA cancelled the matches. And had we run into a rival with the same rating as Armenia, our players could have won the home game. This suggests that Vogts has not fully mobilized the potential of the current members of the team.

What requirements must be set for Vogts?

To ensure that the German coach works more efficiently with the Azerbaijani national team, it is necessary to set him certain tasks emanating from a variety of circumstances.

First, during his work, the German specialist did not find and recruit any local player, preferring to "nationalize" legionaries. The reason is that they do not attend Premier League games on a regular basis. As a result, the team invites reserve players rather than those who work hard on the pitch all 90 minutes. Therefore, it would be desirable for Vogts to spend as much time as possible in Azerbaijan rather than turn up in Baku just before the matches. Henceforth, he must follow the local championship and personally decide to invite a player to the national team.

Second, during the previous period, Vogts failed to find a common language with club coaches. He kept complaining about them, and they hit back, periodically criticizing the German specialist, although the head coach of the national team must establish contacts with the coaches of local clubs. Inviting the players of the home team to a training session a week before a club game, Vogts must understand the situation of their coaches as well. In this respect, Karabakh suffered most of all - the premature start of training sessions disrupted all the plans of the Agdam team, who delegated eight and sometimes even nine players. In such cases, the club lost the opportunity to train and prepare for matches. Therefore, Vogts and club coaches need to develop a mutually acceptable solution.

Third, in the upcoming season the team must be set the task to increase the number of points. The team must demonstrate not only entertaining, but also stable performance. The players must not relax and lose their discipline after another success. We need to see a strong-willed team with a fighting spirit aiming for victory in each match.

Fourth, it is necessary to continue the policy of rejuvenating the team. If we want to go to Euro 2016, we are obliged to keep the doors of the national team open to new players. It is not known whether Rasad Sadixov, Rahil Malikov and Mahir Sukurov, who make up the backbone of the team now, will remain in the team. Therefore, there should be reserve players who should be able to withstand strong competition.

And finally, Berti Vogts should be set a specific goal. As is known, in the upcoming qualifying tournament, the Azerbaijani team can compete for 3rd or 4th place in the group in the best case. However, even this looks unrealistic. We must not forget that the finals of the European Championship 2016 will involve 24 teams. In this season, some national teams will also be able to get a ticket to the finals. We hope to see our team among them. Young players playing under the guidance of Vogts must also have their say by this time. AFFA should demand that the German coach lead the Azerbaijani team into the finals of Euro 2016, of course, if they play successfully in the 2012-2013 season.

During the World Cup qualifiers, the Azerbaijani team will have interesting and at the same time, challenging matches with Russia, Portugal, Israel, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg. Therefore, despite their increasing demands to the national team and head coach, the fans should also provide more support for the national team.