"From now on, only the most deserving will play in the national team" — Fabio Cannavaro

“From now on, only the most deserving will play in the national team” — Fabio Cannavaro

The head coach of the Uzbekistan national team, Fabio Cannavaro, attended the press conference after the match against Iran (3:1) and answered questions from journalists.

He shared his thoughts on the new tactical scheme, Abduvohid Nematov's injury, competition within the squad, playing with two central defenders, and preparations for the Asian Cup.

Cannavaro particularly emphasized that the match was not easy. According to him, the team had only three days to prepare for the game. Within this short period, they tried to explain the new tactical system to the players, especially emphasizing the need to be vigilant in the first 20 minutes of the match.

The head coach said he analyzed Iran through several matches and identified that the opponent poses a threat mainly from set pieces — free kicks and corner kicks.

“The players performed very well. They showed that they care about the national team and that if we act as a team, we can play against any opponent. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but I ask the players to give their all on the pitch. Today, even those who came on in the last six or seven minutes of the match made efforts that are worthy of pride for the team,” the coach said.

At the same time, Cannavaro stated that the victory over Iran should be left behind, and now the focus must shift to the next match against Syria.

— Before the match, Abduvohid Nematov's injury became known.

I believe in all my players. Nematov got injured yesterday, which is why he couldn't play today. We also watched Vladimir Nazarov in his last Champions League match, and he played well there.

All players called up to the national team deserve to play. I said it yesterday too: the doors of the national team are open to everyone. The extra bonuses given to some players during the World Cup qualifiers are now over. From now on, only the most deserving and ready players will play in the squad. The Asian Cup is ahead, and we must reach it in peak form.

— Of course, I saw many good aspects. But as a coach, I always look for areas where we can improve. Today, Iran did not exploit some of our mistakes, but in the future, other opponents might punish such errors.

In particular, our three midfielders need to play more compactly. And when we have the ball, we need to open up more between the lines. Also, I asked not to commit unnecessary fouls around the penalty area. Unfortunately, the conceded goal resulted from such a situation.

Modern football requires more intensity and a high tempo. Therefore, we still need to improve many aspects.

— Today, the team played in a 4-3-3 tactical system.

— We do not have a free player. There is a specific system — 4-3-3. In this system, a lot of movement is required from the midfielders. Depending on the situation, they must open up between the lines, move to the flank, or run behind the defenders.

Akmal Mozgovoy, Aziz Ganiev, and the players who came on from the bench performed this task well. This system also allows for better coverage of the two central defenders.

Another thing, we started taking more risks because players like Bekhruz Karimov and Jakhongir Urozov became legionnaires, and of course, when you have such high-level players, you take more risks. But it also depends on the opponent; for example, with top national teams, maybe we need to play differently. It is played based on the opponent, but I have always played with four defenders before.

Today, Iran could not create major opportunities, threatening mainly from corner kicks. There are still two months left until the Asian Cup, and during this period, we will try to further improve the system.

— This is the requirement of modern football. If defenders are afraid to move forward, the opponent's players between the lines are given freedom, and the team may struggle more.

Therefore, we told the central defenders to meet the opponent higher up and not to be afraid of this. Of course, for this, defenders, midfielders, and forwards must act together and organize the pressing correctly.

In the first half, we pressed high, and as a result, we had a number of good opportunities. Now we must forget about the World Cup and look towards the Asian Cup. There, we can play against any opponent.