The first day of the Azerbaijan Premier Football League has ended. After nine rounds, the last champion “Karabakh” is on top with 21 points. “Turan Tovuz”, which scored three points less, took second place. “Araz-Nakhchivan” closes the first “3rd place” with 17 points. “Zira” and “Sabah” with the same – 15 points take the next place. Shamakhi, who returned to the Premier League this season, is sixth. “Sabail” and “Sumgait”, qualified for the European Cup last season, share 7th and 8th places with seven points. The most consolidated clubs in our country are in the last stages. “Neftchi” is in ninth place with four points, “Kepaz” is tenth with three points.
Overall, the season remains quite interesting and stands out for the abundance of surprising results. When you look at the tournament table, you can understand how many surprises there are. In this article we will look at the general progress, successes and failures, but the main point we will address is the reappearance of Turan Tovuz in Azerbaijani football.
“Caspian” The newspaper published an article on the subject.
Peacock football revival
In general, Tovuz is considered one of the main football centers in our country. It is no coincidence that the region’s “Turan” club went down in history as the first professional football club in Azerbaijan. “Turan” is the first team to represent our country in the European Cups. “Turan”, which was very successful at the end of the last century, managed to become champion in the 1993/94 season. Footballers like Nizami Sadigov, Sakit Aliyev, Nizami Ojagverdiyev, Huseyn Mahammadov, Nadir Nabiyev, Elvin Mammadov, Agil Nabiyev, Rahman Hajiyev, Ruslan Abbasov, Vurgun Huseynov left Tovuz and wore the uniforms of our various clubs and our national team.
In recent years, Tovuz football has been somewhat overshadowed, but “what comes around, comes around.” With the increase in funds allocated to “Turan Tovuz” from last season, the Club’s claim also increased. Although the team placed prominently from time to time, in the end they were satisfied with sixth place. This season, the “gray wolves” seem more ambitious. The fact that the team is in second place gives reason to say so.
The only team that defeated Karabakh is the representative of Tovuz.
“Turan Tovuz” had a strong collective impact last season under the leadership of Aykhan Abbasov. It was expected that the same strategy would be continued and the path of gradual development would be chosen. However, already in the summer the club management said goodbye to the local coach. The well-known coach Kurban Berdiyev was hired in his place. The activity of the experienced specialist, who became famous thanks to his work in the Russian club “Rubin”, can so far be considered a success.
“Turan Tovuz” lost only once, which is one of the three best indicators along with “Karabakh” and “Araz-Nakhchivan”. At the same time, the team that threw six balls shares the top with the Aghdam club. Furthermore, the only team that defeated Karabakh was the representative of Tovuz.
What has the victim changed?
It would not be correct to associate the improvement in the results of “Turan Tovuz” with the renewal of the squad. In fact, the western representative is fighting with last year’s players with some additions. Contrary to expectations, Kurban Berdiyev did not choose a way to completely renew the team and bring in the players he wanted. He managed to turn the team into a stronger collective by making small additions.
In fact, there is no big difference between the Tovuz representative in terms of playing style. Aykhan Abbasov opted for a counterattack strategy. It is clear that this is Kurban Berdiyev’s favorite style of play. He is an expert who beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou as Rubin coach with counterattacking tactics. Under his leadership, Turan Tovuz plays a results-oriented game and knows how to do it quite well. A team that thinks about the reliability of its goal understands that it will surely have chances to score, and it has them. The key is to make the most of a limited opportunity. Westerners can do it to the fullest.
strict discipline
The strict discipline rules applied by Kurban Berdiyev also benefit the team. This is noticeable both on and off the field. The Tovuz representative remains faithful to his system during the match, regardless of the result, the players do not deviate from the order of the game, they try to follow the coach’s instructions until the end.
True, “Turan Tovuz” does not have a large team, and in a long marathon this can cause difficulties for the team. However, based on one round, we can say that the team is one of the main candidates for the first “three” and, therefore, for the European Cup. During the winter transfer period, it is possible to complete the team by making some additions to it.
What is the situation like in other teams?
As for the first round in general, among the surprises it is worth mentioning “Araz-Nakhichevan”. The fact that Elmar Bakhshiyev’s team is in the top three is unexpected for many. “Shamak” also surprises in a good way. The team that is promoted from the I League manages to be a headache for its rivals. The team, whose main objective is to maintain its presence in the Premier League, is strengthening in the middle categories.
“Neftchi” and “Kepaz” surprise in a negative sense. In particular, it is unexpected that the “whites” are ninth. It is no coincidence that both clubs have already said goodbye to the coach who started the season. Those that were not successful can also include “Sabail” and “Sumgait”. “Zira” and “Sabah” continue with their intentions like last season. However, the strengthening of teams such as “Turan Tovuz” and “Araz-Nakhchivan” has increased competition between them. The clear favorite in the league is Karabakh.
