VOGTS WILL FORGET THAT HE IS GERMAN

The meeting of representatives of teams in Euro 2012 Group A qualifiers in Frankfurt compiled the schedule of the qualifying round. The fixtures for a place in the final which will be held in Poland and Ukraine will take place from 3 September 2010 to 11 October 2011. The tournament will be opened by the favourite of the group Germany in an away match with Belgium. Azerbaijan will also start the tournament with a match against Germany. Azerbaijan has already played two games with Germany in the World Cup qualifying round. However, Azerbaijan is familiar with other teams of the group as well. Given this circumstance, experts expect good results from the Azerbaijani team. According to Vaqif Sadixov, who previously headed the team, Azerbaijani players may even take 3rd or 4th places. One of the leading players of the team, Rail Malikov, says that Azerbaijan can score 9 points in the qualifying round. Despite forecasts, the chief coach Berti Vogts looks more pragmatic. We managed to talk with the German specialist immediately after the schedule of the games was determined.

- Mr Vogts, you have already expressed your attitude to the outcome of the draw, but there are mixed comments in the football environment...

- It would be wrong to say whether we are pleased or not. Sometimes the press says that Azerbaijan has been lucky. But this is not the case. First of all, I should say that we have to struggle in a group of strong contenders. On the other hand, I do not expect that our team will win a place in the final stage of the championship. That is to say only teams such as Turkey and Germany can say that they have been lucky with the outcome of the draw, as they compete for a place in the final. Both Germany and Turkey are really lucky. As for teams like Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, they have to gain more experience and develop.

- Some of your colleagues predict that the team will gain 9 points in the qualifying stage. Is it realistic?

- (Smiles) Azerbaijan has gained a maximum of 5 points so far. Naturally, we will try to gain more. I wonder who expressed this opinion. After all, we have a rather difficult group.

- Some Azerbaijani coaches believe that the team can even take 3rd or 4th places...

- Remember Euro Cups. Karabakh had a hard time in the Europa League when they played two games with a week's interval. In the qualifying round, the national team will have to play two games in four days. I want to say that the prediction must take these factors into account. So I would not want to comment on the views of my distinguished colleagues.

- During World Cup qualifiers, our team lost both matches with Germany. Is there anything new we can expect now?

- I do not know what you mean by something new, but the national team of Azerbaijan will try to wage a decent struggle all 90 minutes. And yet I cannot promise that we will beat Germany. On the other hand, during the match, I will forget for a moment that I am German. After all, I coach the national team of Azerbaijan. Therefore, we will show good play against the Bundesteam. We will try to cause them problems.

- Were you glad that you fell into the same group as Germany?

- I must admit, I really was very pleased. Even before the draw, I said: you'll see, Azerbaijan will have to play with Germany again. I am German, so I'm curious to play against Germany. At one time, I was the head coach of Germany. So today it looks very tempting to play against this team.

- And what can you say about the Turkish national team? After all, its coach is now the former head coach of Russia, Guus Hiddink.

- I have already congratulated Hiddink. It is one of the best coaches in the world. I was sure that he would not remain jobless. I am very glad that Hiddink will be working with the Turkish national team. It turns out that we will meet twice in the qualifying round again. Turkey is the second real candidate for the final from our group. Games between Turkey and Azerbaijan, too, promise to be interesting. I know that your countries are very close. So, the fans are waiting for interesting matches. In Baku, we can give the Turkish team a hard time.

- We also played with the national teams of Belgium and Austria. Can we beat them at home?

- Everything is possible in football. Forecasting is a thankless job. There are still five or six months to the qualifying stage. Prior to that, the state of the teams can change. During the past two years, Belgium has pursued a policy of rejuvenating the national team. But now they show good performance. Despite their recent setbacks, we also see the Austrian team as a serious contender. In Baku, we can become a headache for any opponent, as our own pitch and fans' support will make the team more effective.

- The national teams of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan could be called teams of the same level. Fans expect six points from the matches with the neighbouring country...

- The game against Kazakhstan will not be easy either, because football is developing around the world. There is no such thing as a weak opponent. Kazakhstan are also coached by my countryman Storck. That is to say it will also be an encounter between two German professionals. Naturally, in all these matches, we will aim to win. But it is too difficult to speak of the results in advance.

- Can we say that Azerbaijan's chief coach is pleased with the schedule of the games?

- The main proposals in the debate came from teams competing for a place in the final. So the views of Germany and Turkey were taken as a basis while drawing up the schedule. But the schedule turned out the way we wanted. Now we need to concentrate on preparing for the games. Our team will undergo a high level of training and wage a decent struggle.

- Finally, what would you like to say to the fans?

- I thank the fans for supporting us all the time. I am confident in their active support in the upcoming matches. Football cannot be imagined without the fans.