What will happen to Qarabag this season?
For Agdam's Qarabag, the European season ended far earlier than the fans have grown accustomed to.
After being eliminated from the Europa League and the latest setback in the tie against the Dutch side Twente, the team finally lost any chance of continuing its campaign on the international stage. For the first time in a long while, Qarabag has been left without Europe. In this situation, one inevitably asks: what awaits the Agdam club now? It is impossible to give a definite answer here. Now all that remains for Qarabag is the Azerbaijani championship and the national cup. On reflection, on the one hand, this might even seem like an advantage: fewer flights, fewer matches, more time for recovery and preparation. But for a club that in recent years has made European competitions an important part of its sporting and financial model, the consequences could turn out to be more serious. The main question now is not only why Qarabag failed in its European campaign, but also what the club lost along with its elimination and how it can turn the absence of European competition to its own benefit. Above all, this concerns international experience and the level of competition.
Matches against strong European opponents gave Qarabag the opportunity to constantly test its level against teams from other leagues. Now, alas, there will be no such opportunity until the next European season. However, in any situation there is both a good and a bad side. The main thing is not to dwell only on what has been lost, but to be able to see the opportunities that appear in exchange. Yes, this time Qarabag will not play in European competitions. After so many years in which the team practically nonstop combined the league with European matches, this is undoubtedly unusual. But perhaps it is precisely now that the club has been given a chance to turn the page a little. For the first time in a long while, it can fully focus on the domestic season: work calmly in training, try new ideas, rebuild its play, give more time to new players and search for the kind of football that will become the team's next stage. Sometimes a step back turns out to be a necessary pause before a new step forward. Now Gurban Gurbanov has the opportunity to use the time differently: to recover, to rethink the game and, perhaps, to create something new. After the defeat to Twente, the coach noted that for twelve years the club had combined European competitions with domestic games, the players got tired, but the team continued to do so successfully. Perhaps an exception here can still be made for last season, when the Agdam side let Sabah get a considerable distance ahead.
GURBAN GURBANOV
HEAD COACH OF FC QARABAG
When we, together with the management, began the process of renewing the squad, we discussed this step in detail. We understood that the squad needed to be changed. We thought we would need three months, possibly even until December. If we take that into account, perhaps the absence of European competition will do us good. Although the experience of playing in Europe would not have been superfluous either. It would have meant additional responsibility and experience for the players.
There is also the financial side of the issue. European competitions mean additional prize money, revenue from matches, fan interest and the opportunity to increase players' value thanks to performances on the international stage. That is why a season spent only in the domestic championship may lead the club to reconsider its expenses and transfer strategy. But only if it is for one season. The team has been joined by newcomers, some of whom are only just settling into the squad. Unfortunately, Swedish forward Savo picked up an injury in European competition; he could have strengthened the team, even in that very ill-fated return match against Twente. In the recent games against Araz and Zira, we have already seen the German Reda Khadra and the Brazilian Diego Rosa on the pitch. Taofik Ismahil has played three games. In the last one, he even provided an assist for Aleksey Kashchuk. The players who arrived in the summer also continue to become part of one big team, which needs a little time to become its best version.
GURBAN GURBANOV
HEAD COACH OF FC QARABAG
The newcomers are still far from their optimal form. Nevertheless, we are giving playing time to those who have played little or joined the team recently, so that they can better feel the atmosphere within the squad and the dynamics of interaction. We understand that they have not yet reached optimal playing condition. We want to gradually speed up the process of their adaptation. The international break is ahead, and I think we will be able to use this time to bring them to the peak of optimal form.
Muaddib, Sefas, Langa, Lobato, Varkonyi, Makrecskis, Zlomislic. Perhaps it is precisely they who will shine in European competitions in the future. But to do that, they need to turn into a system. All of this will be shown by the current championship, in which the Agdam side will fight for medals not only with Sabah, but also with Zira, Neftchi and Turan. Perhaps some of the teams lower down will also provide competition.
Nor should we forget those who were in the team last season as well. At the moment, of those, it is rather Mateus Silva who has shown his previous form. But there are also Jankovic, Bicalho, Kady and a number of other players. In the final days of the transfer window, Kochalski and Dani Bolt left the team. The club is unlikely to change its 4-2-3-1 strategy. This formation will be worked on with new forces. Perhaps only the holding midfield zone, in the persons of Jankovic and Bicalho, will remain unchanged.
The last match against Zira was played on open, end-to-end terms, which once again proved the clear increase in competition in the championship, something we had greatly lacked before. It cannot be said that opponents used to give up in the fight, but the difference was noticeable, and this was especially evident in the table in the third round of the championship.
What conclusion can be drawn from all this? If the Agdam side can now produce consistently good results, the failure in Europe can be compensated for at home. The current season will be a serious test for the "horsemen." Now Qarabag will have to prove that even without the European stage it is capable of maintaining a high level and preparing for a new return to international football.
EMIN AKHMEDOV
