Former Azerbaijan national team player Zaur Ramazanov shared his thoughts in an interview with Idman.biz, discussing the 25th round of the Azerbaijan Premier League and the current state of Neftchi.
– How do you evaluate the latest round of the Premier League?
- I didn't watch all the matches, but I can say that in the last game, Kapaz vs. Neftchi, the home team played very well. Neftchi looked tired and made defensive mistakes, while Kapaz played a stable game.
– Despite losing 0:1 in Ganja, can we say Neftchi is improving?
- It will take time. Many players might need to be replaced because we see some players who are not worthy of Neftchi. I won’t name names—saying them wouldn’t change anything.
– Which team do you think will be relegated this season?
- It’s hard to say, but Sabail seems to be the closest to relegation.
– Which team impressed you the most this round?
- Lately, Zira has been playing well. They used to focus on defensive football, but now they are playing more attacking football. Their progress is visible.
– How would you describe the league standings after 25 rounds?
- If Qarabag is 15-20 points ahead, that says everything about the competition. Of course, they’ve built this dominance over the years, but without real competition, the league loses appeal. Maybe the removal of the foreign player limit will change things.
– So, do you support removing the foreign player limit?
- If a local player is talented, this rule won’t matter. But more foreign players might improve the league's quality. The First Division could become more competitive, but young local players might struggle. Time will tell.
– What do you think is the biggest problem in Azerbaijani football?
- Sponsorship. If there were better sponsors, the league would be much more competitive.
Aytaj Sahed
Idman.biz
