VOGTS IN PRECARIOUS POSITION

No points came our way from the Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan-Germany qualifying matches for the European Championship. The game in Astana was the last straw that broke the patience of the football public. The fans expected victory and nothing less from the match against the only team we should have been able to beat easily in the qualifying group.  However, the Azerbaijani national team led by Berti Vogts was once again defeated.

Our international players put in a poor performance in Astana. And we have to say that the newly-established Kazakh team were more like amateurs. Nevertheless, our opponents were persistent and, as a result, left the field with victory.

Azerbaijani fans have long become accustomed to the losses of the national team. However, it is simply impossible to accept defeat from such a weak opponent. The Kazakh team was put together by their new coach just a week ago, so their victory over Azerbaijan's first team, coached by Berti Vogts for three (!) years, provides food for thought. And the reason is simple - the arrogance of the Azerbaijani footballers and their condescending attitude towards their opponents. Winning 2:1, Kazakhstan scored the first goal and earned their first points.

As a rule, responsibility for a defeat rests with the head coach. And this time, Vogts came under a barrage of criticism, and there were also calls for his resignation. But, I think, the players must not remain in the shadows either. Vogts' major blunder is that he relied on under-trained players and made errors in position. As for the players, their unspeakably bad performance is obvious. If Vaqif Cavadov, who was considered the main striker, cannot put the ball in the back of the net from five (?) metres, that means that we expected too much of him. If Rauf Aliyev, one on one with the keeper, hesitates and does not know what to do in such a "complex" situation, what can we expect from him tomorrow? The Azerbaijani team played so badly against Kazakhstan that they fully deserved to lose.

As for the match against Germany, no one was expecting a miracle here. It was clear that in a game with the world-famous Germans, the chances of Berti Vogts' team to gain even one point were slim. The only hope for the fans was a beautiful game. Putting in a more mature performance, as opposed to the match with Kazakhstan, the team lost 3:1. The only scorer against the Germans was substitute Murad Huseynov. An interesting fact: even when losing 2:0, the Azerbaijani team did not become defensive. The players continued to attack and even managed a prestige goal.

As for individual players, Neftci defender Rail Malikov was not at his best and did not distinguish himself on the flank. Aleksandr Chertoganov sought to create problems for Neuer only with long shots and, of course, achieved nothing. Vaqif Cavadov failed as a striker again.

In the Azerbaijani team, we can highlight only the goalkeeper Kamran Agayev, Afran Ismayilov and Murad Huseynov (because of the goal he scored). The remaining players did not show or simply failed to show a good performance that even remotely resembled the level of a national team.

Will this team, for which ideal conditions have been created, be able to do any better in the near future - that's a very big question...

Meanwhile, Berti Vogts' predecessor and former players have different ideas on how to improve things.

Igor Ponomarev, former head coach of Azerbaijan:

"Frankly, the selection of players was wrong. Cavid Huseynov was very weak in the game with Kazakhstan. He should have been replaced. Both games showed that there are no major changes in the team. Berti Vogts should watch both games and draw conclusions. I am against criticizing him. But responsibility for the result always lies with the head coach. The next few months must see a turning point in the team's performance. Otherwise, fans will turn their back on it."

Kazbek Tuayev, former head coach of Azerbaijan:

"The game with Kazakhstan was a real shame. I was not expecting such a game. The players have to realize that they are playing for the national team, which is the symbol of the country. They represent Azerbaijan. The whole world is watching them. The last two games demonstrated an absolute lack of progress in the performance of the national team. We need to demand that Vogts account for that."

Sahin Diniyev, former head coach of Azerbaijan:

"It is easy to criticize the national team. We must support them. These games are now behind us, and we can analyse them. There are a lot of problems in the team. It is wrong to blame them all on the head coach. We must face reality - Vogts has only these players. The level of the Azerbaijan national team is evident now. We cannot expect big wins. As for the fate of the coach, AFFA must deal with it. We cannot say anything about it."

Agasalim Mircavadov, former head coach of Azerbaijan:

"Had we turned in the same performance against Kazakhstan as we did against Germany, we would not have lost. In Baku, the national team played better. It is just that there is no consistency. Rasid Amirquliyev made a good impression in the last game. In general, I think there should be changes in the team. Liechtenstein beat Lithuania, which is a football country, and we lost to Kazakhstan. In order to maintain respect for our team in Europe, we must play decent football. The current level of the team is not satisfactory."

Qurban Qurbanov, former head coach of Azerbaijan:

"In the game with Kazakhstan, we were out of luck. I think the guys tried, but did not achieve a result. The team did everything possible to get a victory. I do not regard our team as weaker than Kazakhstan. As for the game with Germany, it is quite another matter. The German team are far ahead of us. We don't have the strength to cope with such teams."

Isgandar Cavadov, former Azerbaijani footballer:

"It's time to settle accounts. Berti Vogts has not achieved anything in return for the money he's been paid. The defeat against Kazakhstan was deeply depressing. I think we will need to request an account from him at the end of the qualifying stage. We need football rather than an advertisement named Vogts. Thanks to the head of state's care, all sport is developing in our country, and we want to see victories in football as well."

Comment, as they say, is unnecessary. Changing the head coach three matches before the end of the qualifying stage is not the best way out. In any case, the team did not set itself the goal of reaching the finals of the European Championship.

According to experts, Berti Vogts should give an account of himself after all the games in the qualifying group. If the German specialist cannot help the team, it makes no sense to continue working with him. For the same money, you can create a great group of coaches for the national team.