FAILED THE EXAM

The Azerbaijani national soccer team has completed the qualifying stages of the European Championship. This is the fifth time our team has competed in the qualifying matches, finishing fifth in their group. This, of course, is nothing to be proud of.
Nevertheless, we have achieved records of a sort. This time Azerbaijan, which has always figured amongst the weakest in the group, achieved the best result in its history.
Record number of victories: The team ended the group stage with two wins. In six of the previous qualifying stages we won only one match each time, so in this sense the team made some progress. In Baku we beat Turkey (1-0) and Kazakhstan (3-2).
Record number of points: In the qualifying rounds Azerbaijan has gained five points on three occasions. This record was first set 10 years ago when Igor Ponomarev was in charge. His team was reshaped by Shamil Diniyev. Finally, 10 years later, this figure has been surpassed and the team gained seven points.
Overall record for number of goals scored: In each of the qualifying stages of Euro-2000 and the World Cup-2010 we scored six goals. This time we scored 10 in the group stages.
Goals scored in home matches: By scoring in all their home matches Azerbaijan achieved the best performance in their history. This had never happened before.
Negative record: That said, we conceded more than enough goals. This time round the figure was 26, though we conceded 29 and 28 in previous years.
Third time in history: For the third time in their history, our national team avoided last place in their group. Twice we have come second from bottom - ahead of Liechtenstein, and now Kazakhstan.
Away match syndrome: Once again Azerbaijan failed to perform away from home. Although in the last two qualifying stages we did gain points, this time, as prior to World Cup-2006, we got all our points in home matches.
Third time with the same coach: For the third time in their history our team completed the qualifying stage with the same coach they started with. First it was Igor Ponomarev, and now Berti Vogts has been at the helm for two seasons running. It would be wrong to give a simple assessment of the second qualifying stage under Berti Vogts. There were both positives and negatives in the German's performance. First, we recall the team's inconsistent form throughout the season. After winning one match, we then lost three in a row.
In four years Vogts has not been able to build a solid framework for his side. His inability to create a consistent team is a negative factor. Added to that were the frequent clashes with and unfair criticism of club managers. AFFA created ideal conditions for the German coach - Vogts has been able to interrupt the national championship at any time and take players away for training in Europe.
The changes in the play of the national team were linked, in the main, with the increase in the number of goals scored. Although this season we scored 10 goals, we should not forget the 26 we conceded.
One obvious flaw was the fact that Vogts spent only one week per month in Baku. He doesn't follow league matches and arrives in Azerbaijan only just before the game. It is hard to believe that he can help Azerbaijani football by doing this. In the four years that Vogts has been working with the national side there has been no significant progress.
It is true that since he has been in charge of the national side he has instilled strong discipline, no-one in the federation can put pressure on him, he has complete freedom in team selection and he can criticize the professional football league and AFFA whenever he likes. He has done much to promote Azerbaijani football on the continent. Since Vogts has been in charge of the Azerbaijani national team the leading European media have frequently focused on what he has to say. Azerbaijan needed this publicity at first, but now fans are calling for results…
At the next qualifying stage the main task should not be to pass the figure of seven points but to achieve specific objectives. The team must finish higher in its group. But the biggest problem is the future of the chief coach. Most people believe that AFFA will not extend Berti Vogts' contract. Indeed, AFFA is no longer inclined towards spending so much money on Vogts if results are not achieved.
So, who could replace the German? That's a difficult question to answer. The name of Qurban Qurbanov is often mentioned. However, I would not like to see one of the most capable and promising managers in the country leading the national side which is always being criticized. This can have a negative effect on a manager's career. It would not be a good idea to take him away from FC Qarabag where he is worshipped by the fans.
The coach is one thing, but we mustn't forget about the standard of the players, either. It has to be said that the players in the national team don't get on with every coach and find it difficult to carry out instructions. We can change the chief coach but it is not up to us to change the players. There are only about 15-20 players of a relatively high standard in the country. There is, unfortunately, no competition, and so the same players find their way into the national team…
That is why Azerbaijan's win over Turkey in the qualifying stage was such a surprise. This was followed by defeat against Kazakhstan in Astana which shocked the fans. The only consolation was the draw with Belgium and victory over the Kazakhs at home.
There were no particular surprises as far as team selection is concerned. One could welcome the invitation to join the national team of Ufuk Budak from Freiburg-2, who is Turkish by origin, but none of the local-born players caught the eye.
The qualifying stage of World Cup-2014, which is being held in Brazil, starts in about a year's time. Everyone wants to know: who will be leading the national side then, what objectives will be placed before the team, and what will it be fighting for?