Expert opinion on Uzbekistan national team's game yesterday

The Uzbekistan - Kyrgyzstan match was interesting for many reasons. One of the main intrigues before the game was the difference in coaching philosophies between Timur Kapadze and Srechko Katanets.

The starting lineup and formation remained unchanged. There was only one change compared to the Katanes era (and that was forced) - Abdulla Abdullayev was placed in the central defender position instead of Husniddin Aliqulov. The "Pakhtakor" player naturally adapted to the defensive trio's game and began to occasionally move into the central midfield after the Kyrgyzstan player was sent off.

For example, we see such movements in the positional attacks of right-back Rico Lewis at "Manchester City." In return, the Uzbekistan national team had one more player in the midfield to bring the ball into play. This is a very interesting tactical find by Timur Kapadze. Of course, if Abdullayev had not decided to push forward without the coach's instructions.

At the same time, despite the lack of changes in the starting lineup and formation, the Uzbekistan national team's game differed from that of the Katanes era. The team had more ball possession and applied more pressure on the opponent's goal. Some might say that the Kyrgyzstan national team played with one less player, but this was happening even before the sending off. Although Datsiyev's red card was a result of the pressure from the Uzbekistan national team.

Before the penalty, Kapadze's disciples created at least three dangerous situations and, in parallel, hardly allowed the Kyrgyzstan national team to leave their half. During Katanes' era, our national team still played less "dominantly." It is also worth noting the effective pressing and counter-pressing by the Uzbekistan national team players. In this component, our players also contributed.

I saw opinions on social networks that our national team did not play well enough. I completely disagree with this. The Uzbekistan national team showcased "total" football, dominating throughout the game. The relatively low pace of the game is a result of both teams' actions. The Uzbekistan national team may not have played with all their might, possibly keeping in mind the upcoming game against Iran, while the Kyrgyz players could not offer a higher pace due to their own limitations. If it weren't for Kyrgyzstan's goalkeeper Yerjan Tokotayev, the score would have been at least 3:0 in favor of our team.

Timur Kapadze passed his first "test" as the head coach of the Uzbekistan national team with flying colors. However, the main "test" lies ahead - the game against the Iran national team. In my opinion, our national team played well enough in the game against Kyrgyzstan. I would give a "four" for such a game. There wasn't enough realization for a "five." And this issue needs to be addressed somehow, as we won't have 10 chances in the game against the Iranians. The level of resistance there will be one notch higher, and if we want to win (and we should set that goal - playing for a draw is very risky), we need to make the most of even half-chances.

Source: championat.asia