The statement came from the head coach of the Azerbaijani national team Gianni de Biasi at a pre -match press conference with Serbia in the qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup, Offsideplus.az reports.

Speaking to journalists in the conference hall of the Baku Olympic Stadium, the Italian expert continued: “We were able to show some of our qualities in the last two matches. There are  some shortcomings that we need to overcome. Tomorrow's opponent is physically and technically strong. 95% of players play abroad. We have a difficult game ahead of us. "

- You had a good second half against Portugal and the first half against Qatar. What is not enough for stability?
- There were two different games. Because they were different competitors. In the first half against Portugal, the players were excited. In the second half, they believed in themselves, we showed that we can play without fear. I was satisfied with the character of the team in the second half. We gave a chance to those who played less in the national team against Qatar. The physical condition of some of them was also unsatisfactory. We could have scored the second goal. The referee also gave a penalty to the opponent. As for the second goal episode, one in 100 shots would be such a goal.

- Bahlul Mustafazadeh was injured. What is the latest situation with injuries?
- Yes, he was kicked in the leg. We do not know if he will be ready for tomorrow.

- Have you determined the starting lineup?
- There is no doubt about the staff. There will be players who will come to the game with great desire to show what they have tomorrow.

- The opponent's head coach said that the national teams of Serbia and Azerbaijan have no secrets. Is there a secret for you that you learned from Serbian Milan Obradovic and Milos Velebit, who work in our junior national teams?
- Yes, we talked to Milan. But not now, not a while ago. The Serbs changed their coaches and scored 4 points in the first two matches. Have great experiences. Unfortunately, our players do not have this experience. This also makes a difference between the two teams.

- Emin Mahmudov was called to the national team after great pressure and is already in the main squad. Isn't it enough for the team to gather around Emin and play the game we want?
- Emin had a difficult period with coronavirus. But he has a lot of experience and is in excellent shape now. We met and talked with him separately before the qualifying round. I thought differently about him. But after the meeting, I changed my mind. He is an intelligent child, loyal to his country and homeland.

- When you came to the national team, you said in your first press conference that the mentality, tactics and diligence of the national team must change. Which of these points has changed during this period?
- We can't meet so often. We will play 3 games in 6 days. We also met a week ago to meet with Portugal. We work hard on the mentality. But this cannot change in a day. Children should be more eager and believe in development, they should not lose any game in their brains.

- Our fans are very nervous, they expect you to win. Finally, will we be able to see the first victory tomorrow?
- Unfortunately, I am also very worried. A lot of desire, you have to fight on the field. The goal of all of us is to win and make the fans happy.

- Based on the last two games, can you say that this team can qualify for the finals?
- You run very fast. We are still in the beginning. I talked to the children today and said that we must believe it. Because if we don't believe in ourselves, we can't achieve anything. We are the 5th team in the group. But in football, the strong do not always win.

- We have met the Serbian team 5 times. In 2003, we drew with this team on the road and won at home. At that time, as now, the core of the team was made up of players who played in the local championship. Will we be able to get at least 1 point from Serbia this time?
- Why do you set a limit? I can not say how it was 10-15 years ago. I don't know if the previous Azerbaijani footballers were stronger or if they were lucky. Tomorrow we will play against a strong team.

- Is Mahir Emreli ready to play the third match in 6 days?
- Physically ready. He played 65 minutes against Qatar. Because Qatar has friendly matches, they can give a chance to all players. We also had to think about the qualifying match. We will make a decision on Mahir tomorrow.

- You said that the players were shy in the first half of the match with Portugal, and more confident in the second half. Was it just that, or the two players who came on after the break?
- It is difficult to explain. Our team plays in the Azerbaijani championship. We had a hard time in the first part because we were not used to it. Their players play in Italy, England and Germany. I also tell my players that the more opportunities we create, the stronger the opponent is. Therefore, it is necessary to fight without fear.

- From a technical and tactical point of view, what can you promise for tomorrow as a coach?
- I do not think we have great technical difficulties. It is difficult to read the main situations. I told the players that at a young age you can be technically ahead of someone. But at this age you need to read situations. Because even for a second, it plays a big role. We must move forward step by step for development.