Kazakhstan coach: “We will look for the victory, if we were scared of the full stadium we would not have come at all”

Statements ahead of the showdown with National us for the EURO 2024 playoffs, his coach did Kazakhstan, Magomed Adiev.

The Russian coach spoke about how his team prepared for the big match, emphasized that the full OPAP Arena does not scare his players, while also referring to the tactical approach he intends to follow.

What the Kazakhstan coach said in detail:



On whether adjustments have been made to the preparation level for Muslim players and how they feel at the moment: “Yes, I congratulate all Muslims for our great fast. May the Almighty accept all our good deeds, all our prayers. As for this, I have some experience – I worked with a team with such players. We made some changes. We adjusted our training process so that kids can drink water after training and have dinner right away. So the coaching staff has experience in this matter”.

On whether his footballers are mentally ready: “We have worked on the psychology part and we have talked to the children. All the kids understand how important the game with Greece is, so I don’t see the point in putting too much pressure on them with big speeches. On the contrary, in that respect, probably even compared to the game in Slovenia, which was also important for us, I changed it a little bit… I will say that I try to draw attention to them less often (ss. laughs), so that no unnecessary pressure is created. They themselves understand everything perfectly”.

In the event that qualification is decided on penalties: “I’m still not a supporter of footballers taking penalties. I know this first hand. I took penalties quite often at my clubs, sometimes I scored, sometimes I didn’t. If you could score in training… It’s just a game, it’s all about psychology. So beating them in training is completely different to what will happen in a game. But even knowing this process, from my own experience, I always ask the children how tired they are, whether they are ready or not… It is important to feel at that moment, who will take responsibility. As for the goalkeepers, we’ve done some work on that.”.

For the fact that the stadium will be full: “It’s good that the stadium will be full. This is a plus for both teams. It would be much worse if there were no fans. As for whether this will be a problem for us? If this is a problem for us, then we shouldn’t have come here at all. Or, after we came, we would sit in our rooms if we are afraid of the stadiums and the full stands. No way. We are used to playing with support in the Astana Arena, where the stands are full. I don’t see a problem here. On the contrary, I believe it will light up football”.

In the event that arbitration affects the result: “We are coaches. We must influence what we can. Our coaching staff has to fulfill their duties. The guys on the field should complete the tasks assigned to them by the coaching staff. And that it is beyond our control why should we think about it? Believe me, we have something to think about, to make some decisions, to influence those decisions… And the refereeing, I hope, will fully cope with its duties tomorrow”.

About the plan he has in mind: “Do I need to tell you everything? (laughs). As for the game, the coach of Greece said that he knows our team very well. Then he understands that we will not play deep defense in any game. Deep defense has become somewhat depleted in modern football. That’s why we didn’t play like that against the Danes, either home or away. It is clear that there are certain phases of the game where the opponent acts better and is more active. You have to sit a little lower somewhere. We don’t do that and we’re not going to do that. We understand that the game is very great, but after the game there will be some disappointment for some team… And, as they say, there will be no draw in tomorrow’s game. Therefore, both we and our opponent will be looking for victory. We, as always, will try to be balanced – both in defense and in our offensive actions”.