Today, a press conference was held at the Uzbekistan Football Association with the participation of Timur Kapadze, the head coach of the Uzbekistan U-23 national team. It covered the Uzbekistan Olympic team's journey to Paris, preparations, and participation in the Olympics.
— 3.5 years ago, the leadership set a high goal for us. During this period, we have come a long way. Many young players were helped to find their place in football, receiving call-ups from the "Olympic" team to the national team. This team showed what it was capable of from the very first season. We managed to go from the Pro League to the Super League and have been showing stable performance ever since. Overall, we participated in 4 major competitions. We tried to live up to our fans' trust. Thank God, we succeeded. The most important task — we secured an Olympic spot. I believe we also had a worthy participation in the other tournaments.
I want to thank the leadership, our fans, and all of you for your support. We used every opportunity to take our football to a new level. This is history now, said Timur Kapadze.
About preparations and legionnaires.
Timur Kapadze: As for the Olympics, after the Asian Cup, we didn't have much time left. First of all, we worked hard for 3.5 years to get the Olympic spot, and of course, we were happy about it.
Many of our legionnaires had finished their championships; some were tired, others changed teams. Perhaps things would have been different had we had more time. As for preparations, as I mentioned, we didn't have much time. There were some difficulties in forming the team. We had to prepare in Dukent without the legionnaires.
We all know the talent and strength of our senior players. They were capable of more. I am grateful to them. It was beneficial for them and for us. It's a team game. The most important thing — we could have won every match, but sometimes, luck was not on our side.
About the game with Spain.
Timur Kapadze: We analyzed Spain's recent games. Of course, we had our shortcomings. The strategy we put in place worked well, especially in the first half. But we gave Spain opportunities in the second half.
We pressed them correctly and had opportunities. After this game, we analyzed it together with the team, evaluating both their gameplay and ours. We were not weaker than our opponent that day, at the very least we could have drawn.
Overall, we expected more, but luck was not on our side. The most important thing is that we gained a lot of experience.
About the game with Egypt and Jaloliddinov.
Timur Kapadze: Jasur was tired in that game. That’s why we substituted him. We exerted a lot of effort in the first game. The opponent’s counter-attacks caused us problems. They were defensively tight, but we still had our chances.
About the schedule.
Timur Kapadze: The first match clarifies many things. If you win the first game, the upcoming games will be less pressured. However, the schedule was beyond our control. Our opponents were also strong. There were no weak teams in this tournament.
We definitely could have achieved more. We created enough situations in the games. Somewhere, pressure was a hindrance.
About future plans.
Timur Kapadze: I plan to go on vacation. I haven’t known what rest is for 3.5 years.
During this time, we participated in 4 major competitions with the Olympic team. We also consistently participated in the Super League with the "Olympic" team.
In general, I hardly had any free time. But I'm not complaining.
We accomplished the main task. We participated in the Olympics. My mission in the project is over. I plan to rest until the end of the year. The "Olympic" team will be managed by assistant coaches.
I'm not sure what the future holds for the "Olympic" team. The leadership will decide that. As for myself, I will think about what to do after my vacation."
I want to express my gratitude to our President, the Uzbekistan Football Association leadership, and the fans. We achieved all victories together, you motivated us, supported us during hard times.
Thanks to the coaching staff, the workers, and everyone involved, their contribution to the results is significant.
I have no objections to any of the players. As I said, we were capable of more.
Do not get tired of loving and supporting the national team. Let's stand by our players in good and hard times. They feel this responsibility and act differently on the field.
Thank you all, stay healthy.
Oybek Shukurov
