Zira's head coach Rashad Sadigov said this at a press conference after the 2: 2 draw with Sabah at home in the 15th round of the Azerbaijani Premier League, Offsideplus.az reports.
The 39-year-old said Sabah coach Vicente Gomez had formed a good team: "The opponent played tactically smart today. They started to play more carefully after scoring early. We had a hard time breaking through the defense in the first half. Their counter-attacks are very dangerous. We didn't want to concede the second goal from the counterattack. We finished the game with a score of 0: 1. We made some changes in the second half. We started to increase the pressure on the opponent. After the goal, the opponent attacked and took the lead again. In the end we were able to equalize. The game was won. If I'm not mistaken, the score is 3: 2, 2: 3 in 7-8 of the 15 rounds we played. "
According to Sadigov, their matches are tense, interesting and well-groomed. "It also makes me happy. The fans enjoy the game. Our team showed character in the second half. We played two hard games with Neftchi in 5 days. I knew the team was tired and we felt it during the week. Maybe today the fair result was a draw. Congratulations to the players of both teams, especially for the great game in the second half. It is true that the messages I received in 5-10 minutes say that the penalty shootout was one hundred percent. But the episode should be reconsidered. Both teams showed such perseverance and dedication on the field. that it would be unfair to speak of a judge's mistake.
The head coach said that with such games, the country's football will develop at a rapid pace. "Sabah" is already in the third system this season. You see, footballers can adapt to the new system in a short time. All of these are gratifying factors. Sometimes our footballers experience this difficulty. Especially in national teams. Usually, when the system changes from game to game, the players adapt late. ”
The young specialist stressed that the opponent's early goal violated their plans: “We played in two different systems. In fact, when we analyzed the opponent before the match, we saw that in the last matches he played with 5-4-1 tactics. Our goal was to fight 5-4-1 in the first half, wait for the opponent's mistake and take advantage of it. I knew that my team would not be strong enough for 90 minutes of intensive football. Therefore, we had to play carefully. If we had shown the pace of the second half from the first minutes, we would probably have stopped at the end of the match. We released Agabala Ramazanov for the first time after the injury. Filipe Paxtman is also able to perform for 30-35 minutes. We took all this into account. The opponent's early goal ruined our plans. It was very important not to concede a goal before the break. Although the score was not equalized in the first half, we did not miss the second ball. In the second half, we went to change the system by fielding Hajiaga Hajili. In fact, in the second ball we left, Hajiaga got the ball away well. The ball just landed at Kevin Kubemba's feet. He is also a skilled footballer and makes good use of these opportunities. In general, if you create conditions for "Sabah", they have players who have the ability to stand out immediately. "
Rashad Sadigov also clarified that he often resorted to system changes: “From the first day I came, I try to make the players more tactically flexible. For example, if we did not change the system today, it would be difficult to gain an advantage over the opponent. Maybe tomorrow we will change the system again. You need to be ready for them. From now on, I have a hard time expressing my opinion on how we will play against the next opponent. It is necessary to analyze the opponent and our own game. I like to use different systems. It is gratifying that the players understand this and react quickly.”
(Report.az)
