TAJIKISTAN – ESTONIA
January 12th, 2017; Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg Sports and Concert Complex, 400 spectators
Best players: Fuzaylov, Lipp
Post match comments
Lars Hopp, Head coach of team Estonia:
– That was a very difficult game for both sides. The tournament schedule that makes us play every second day is hard for the players. So the problems have become more obvious by the third tournament day. I am not satisfied with the game control, especially in the first half. The situation changed a bit after a halftime. Our opponent had more chances, but we also had ours. Still I am glad we are improving with every match – the result is fair.
– How can you explain so many yellow cards and fouls in your team?
– As I said, the game was a tough one. I asked the guys to be aggressive, but also to find the right limit. When a player is not entirely ready physically, he can make a foul at times, so some of the fouls were not necessary.
– We noticed a big official delegation from Estonia on the stands…
– Yes, the National team coaching staff headed by Martin Reim is attending the Granatkin Memorial now. You know him as he was bringing youth teams here previously. Of course, such attention is an honor for our players. This is a strong motivation and incentive for youngsters as they know that the National team delegation is watching.
– Are the coaches contacting the team or are they just watching games from the stands?
– Representatives of the main team were present on our pre-match briefing, and also the head coach went to our locker room to wish everyone good luck.
Vitalii Levchenko, Head coach of team Tajikistan:
– I cannot say that the game was equal today. To analyze the match and define which team had an advantage we all can use various statistics resources. I liked the way we played, I liked our passion. I am happy about the fact that we are one team. The boys walk onto the pitch with eyes sparkling and with a wish to win, which I am especially happy about. So I want to thank the players for aspiration and will.
– Let me ask you a traditional question to every representative of Tajikistan. Your team always has great support from the stands at the Granatkin Memorial. Does this bother you as a coach?
– The footballers play for the fans, and the stands push the players ahead. They always feel the support. So on behalf of the team and personally let me thank our fans. I understand your question is more related to the fact that our bench and the fan tribune are located near, and in this respect, yes, it becomes a bit more difficult to overshout the spectators. Of course, I can hear what they are shouting. When the team is playing well, they are happy, and when something is going wrong, then they express discontent. It’s not important whether it bothers me or not, because the game and the result are the main focus. Our players gave everything they had on the pitch today, and it’s bad that we’ve got problems converting our chances.
– So why do you think it’s hard to convert the chances? Isn’t it connected with the players being too individualistic?
– On the contrary, I ask the guys – especially in the attacking phase – to be egoistic. Individuality emerges when a player is trying to create something on the pitch, when he’s improvising. This is how chances appear. I recommend them strongly not to play short passes near the opposing box, but to enter the penalty area, to dribble, to create a chance, to get a penalty shot. Our players lack skills, and I think this might be the reason of our problem with scoring goals. But we are not upset about this as we see exactly what we need to work on. We are optimistic about the future.
– Will you be watching your group opponents now – Greece and Bulgaria?
– There’s a saying that tells you to hope for God’s help, but to be proactive yourself. We played all the group matches, and we lost some chances already. We’re watching the developments, of course, but in any case there are three more games ahead. So we’ll use rotation aiming at a win only.
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