FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Igli Tare thinks that Albania lacked personality in the match against Italy and this was the reason why the Reds and Blacks did not perform well against the Blues, beyond the loss to the defending champions. The well-known ex-footballer of the Albanian national team makes this opinion clear in an interview for "Süddeutsche Zeitung", placing the blame somewhat on Silvinho, but also on the players who, according to him, should show hunger on the playing field.
Mr. Tare, Albania caused a sensation in the European Championship faster than any other team: Nedim Bajrami scored the fastest goal in the history of the European Championship in the opening match against Italy - after 23 seconds. But then Italy came back and won 2-1. Did this bring you back to earth?
Our team did not play well after the goal in the first half, but things went a little better in the second half. You know, this Albanian team has great qualities. It is no coincidence that they finished the qualifying stage as group winners. They just don't have experience in this kind of tournament and that was the problem against Italy. They started to cut and defend deep. But this is a team that can't do that. And yes, that disappointed me .
Was this a mistake on the part of coach Silvinho?
He did a really good job in qualifying – with little time to really work with this team. Although he still lacks experience in a tournament like this, I expected a little more from him .
Which means?
More personality. We need to gain a lot of experience in this tournament, but we also need to play with personality. Our team has nothing to lose! They were drawn against three teams who are not only favorites to win the group, but contenders for the title: Italy, Croatia, Spain – for me they are on par with Germany. Virtz and Musiala are simply amazing – and Fyllkrug! You can tell they really enjoy playing football .
Isn't it enough success for Albania to be there? This is only their second participation in a major tournament after the 2016 European Championship…
We've waited a long time for this moment, it's true. We are on the right track and of course we want to gain experience in this European. But if we want to survive, we have to improve a lot against teams like Italy .
On Wednesday you play against the Croatian team who lost their opening match against Spain 3-0. Were you surprised by the deep defeat?
In my opinion, Croatia just had a bad day. Spain is a team with a lot of experience in the tournament, with quality players, with whom they will enter the top 4. I expect a physical game against Croatia. Our team needs to improve defensively. Above all, forward, everyone must sacrifice themselves for the team in defensive work, until exhaustion. When someone is tired, they have to give way to someone younger .
Do you expect Albanian talents like Mario Mitaj, 20, or Ernest Muçi, 23, who are highly rated and currently play for Lokomotiva Moscow and Besiktas Istanbul, to catch the eye of big clubs?
I make only one request: Our team must show hunger – and the willingness to die on the field for the shirt .
Albania's coaching team comes from South America: Silvinho is Brazilian, his assistant Pablo Zabaleta is Argentinian. Silvinjo moved to Tirana to get to know the culture of Albanian football...
This was the right and smart decision. Silvinjo has lived in Europe for a very long time, but he didn't know Albanian football when he signed - it was an instant decision. His ancestors Edoardo Reja and Xhani De Biazi spent a lot of time in Tirana, but did not settle there. Although life in Albania is better than in many other countries, including German cities. It is a place of dreams: sea, food, hospitality – everyone who has been there once always returns. There is no need to become a citizen like Silvinjo, who now has an Albanian passport .
We recently spoke with the Italian European Champion, Xorxho Kielini, who had tremendous respect for Albania. Soccer there has grown tremendously, he said. Where does this come from?
We have young generations with a lot of talent. Three or four generations who went abroad and grew up there – in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, all over Europe! They have no other choice. Albania's championship is still one of the worst in Europe. There is still a lot of work to be done, even though the Albanian government is doing a lot and trying to build new stadiums everywhere and improve the infrastructure. The quality of football is there. And what's more, Albania is a country crazy about football .
We saw this against Italy in Dortmund. "Westfalenstadion" was full of Albanians. The Italians barely stood out...
Unbelievable. Unbelievable, unbelievable. Unbelievable. And so it will stay. On Wednesday, the Hamburg stadium for the match against Croatia will be filled with 40,000 Albanians. They are fanatics, in a positive sense. So there will be no lack of support.
Lini një Përgjigje