Comments from our team’s head coach Mirko Jelicic following the match against Neftchi.
— It was a very interesting game. Both teams were ready to fight and work until the very end. Both teams tried to play football. There were chances for both sides. Usually, small mistakes decide games like this, and that was the case today as well. One small mistake in defence decided the outcome of the match. These are very enjoyable games to watch, especially for Uzbek football. Sometimes games here can be boring. So when you have an atmosphere like this, with plenty of chances and both teams unwilling to simply defend, it is enjoyable — enjoyable for everyone.
— I have a question that I have been asking almost every coach lately. Football is changing very quickly. I am happy that the young players who have been coming onto the pitch recently are not afraid of anyone at all, even players with big names. What has changed in football? Young players are getting opportunities, a 16-year-old is being put in central defence and playing like that. You also saw that Pakhtakor are putting a 20-year-old player in the starting lineup and he goes forward without fear. In the past, young players were hardly given any opportunities.
— If they are interested and willing to work until the end, you can learn a lot in football. It was different before because there was no internet and there were fewer matches on television. I would not say that all young players are training at the necessary level. It is simply a love for football, as well as the ability to watch how many players around the world play. Of course, you can learn from them. This is now a general trend across the world.
Spain, who are currently world champions, have a 19-year-old playing in their team. That is incredible. At such a tournament, you can not only play, but also establish yourself as a starting player. Academies have also started receiving more attention. Of course, when the financial situation in a country becomes a little more difficult, more attention starts to be given to academies. As a result, young players also get their opportunities.
There are many talented young players in Uzbekistan. How they use these opportunities through the conditions and coaches available to them is another matter. We will see how the young players develop in the future. I follow many young players — not only those we work with, but sometimes I also go to watch U-14 and U-16 matches. There are a lot of good talents.
— What was the reason for Shuxrat Muxammadiyev’s substitution — was it tactical or did he have an injury?
— No, it was tactical. We were lacking strength in the centre of the pitch. For example, Shuxrat was supposed to operate on the wing, but things were not working out particularly well for him. We played well during the first 25–30 minutes, but then we started losing control of the centre. So we decided to strengthen the middle. We strengthened the centre slightly and removed one defender.
— Before the match, I thought your team would play with a 3-4-3 formation, because previously you had always played 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. The first 30 minutes were evenly contested, but you had a chance — if Tupliyev had scored, it would have been 1:0. The opponent had almost no chances. Then, from around the 30th minute, it seemed to me that Neftchi took control and until the 70th minute they were putting you under a lot of pressure. Despite that pressure, you switched to four defenders. You moved Yo‘ldoshev to the right and the team tried to change something. And then Shushnyar’s mistake… Could we say that the goal came because he did not have time to get into position?
— Yes, it was a small mistake. He had not played for a month. So, apart from the 20 minutes he played in the previous match, this was his first game. Of course, in such a situation you lose a little bit of your sense of timing. Maybe he did not need to go for the ball that early. I will say again: it was a small situation that decided the game.
Yes. During the final 15 minutes of the first half, we were unable to implement our plan and continue in the same way as we had started the match. Then we began to lose certain areas positionally. After that, we felt that we needed to change something.
— So it was not a tactical mistake but an individual error, correct? Because you switched to four defenders, then Abrayev and Bahodirov came on, and in the final 15 minutes I was even surprised that Iskandarov simply cleared the ball. Your team could even have scored at the end.
— Yes. Overall, Jasur lost the ball in attack. He was lying on the ground, and we thought the opponents would stop the play and put the ball out, but they continued playing. Perhaps our players stopped for a moment in that situation and lost concentration.
I can say that we realized we needed to keep the ball a little longer in the deeper areas. One-on-one situations will happen anyway because there are always fewer defenders than attacking players. Usually, we dealt with these situations more easily, but this time it did not work out.
It was a quick, split-second decision. We cannot say that he was to blame. When a team concedes a goal, it does not start with the final moment. It starts with the first situation higher up the pitch. When a team concedes, everyone is responsible. I never like putting the blame on one person.
— In the second half of the season, Lokomotiv drew with Pakhtakor and Navbahor and today, unfortunately, lost to Neftchi. If we take this trio fighting for the medals, how close do you think your team is to them in terms of quality of play? In terms of squad strength, I cannot compare Lokomotiv with those three teams — you are not even close.
— It is difficult to answer this question. At the moment, there is a big difference between the quality of the clubs, the teams they are able to build and what we are able to do. You could say that the quality of their players is higher. I would not say that myself. You can see it on paper, in terms of salaries and player values.
As for how ready our players are to compete with them, yes, the gap is not that big. There is still a difference, but it is not enormous.
This is our first year back in the Super League. The squad was rebuilt from scratch. Many of these players did not play last year because of injuries or because they were playing in lower divisions. So it is pleasing for us that we are able to compete with teams like these.
Right now, we are looking for ways to become better next year. We want to return to our previous level.