Head coach of Azerbaijan’s U17 national team (players born in 2009), Agil Nabiyev, has shared his thoughts on the team’s performance at the UEFA Development Tournament held in Chisinau, Moldova.
Idman.biz reports that Nabiyev reflected on their most recent match — a 1-2 loss against Estonia — and admitted that the team had aimed for a win:
“Our expectation was victory. However, tournament rules required us to give each of the 20 players at least 90 minutes of playing time. That’s why we fielded those who had fewer minutes in the first two games.”
While he believes the team had the upper hand overall, Nabiyev cited individual mistakes and missed chances as key reasons for the defeat:
“We conceded two goals due to individual errors and failed to convert numerous opportunities. These issues stem from gaps in individual quality and technical ability, which take time to improve. Unfortunately, we don’t have the time for that during national team camps — we focus strictly on tactics. These improvements must come from their work at the club level.”
Despite the challenges, the coach highlighted progress within the squad:
“This was our second training camp, and we saw clear improvement compared to the previous one. The players are developing, and I believe we can achieve better results with this group. Our match against Georgia showed that the team has potential — but they are clearly struggling with a lack of international match experience. I hope things will improve before the qualifying rounds.”
Azerbaijan’s U17 team played three matches in the UEFA Development Tournament, facing Moldova (0:1), Georgia (1:0), and Estonia (1:2).
Idman.biz
