AZE.US
The strong performances of smaller football nations at the World Cup should serve as an encouraging example for Azerbaijan and Armenia, according to Boris Navasardyan, honorary president of the Yerevan Press Club and a member of the Peace Bridge initiative group.
Speaking on the YouTube program “Modern Conversation with Rasim Babayev,” Navasardyan said the tournament had disproved concerns that players would arrive exhausted after demanding seasons in Europe’s top leagues.
He noted that many leading players had remained in strong form and that the tournament had produced a series of competitive and entertaining matches.
Navasardyan drew particular attention to the performances of African teams, including Cape Verde, Senegal and Morocco, which managed to challenge some of the tournament’s traditional favorites.
“We see teams that are roughly at the same level in the world rankings as Armenia and Azerbaijan putting up serious resistance and sometimes defeating the giants of world football,” he said. “This means that we also have a chance.”
According to Navasardyan, football officials and coaches in Azerbaijan and Armenia should study how African national teams organize their play and achieve results without relying on players of the caliber of Lionel Messi or Kylian Mbappe.
He was more critical of the Asian teams at the tournament, arguing that the expansion of the World Cup to 48 participants had not yet demonstrated that Asian football was ready to field eight competitive teams.
Navasardyan named France, Spain, Argentina and Brazil among the main contenders for the title. He described France as the most balanced team, with a particularly strong attack, while saying Spain appeared to be improving with every match.
Speaking about Argentina, he said the team still appeared heavily dependent on Messi. However, he suggested that Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez could emerge as decisive players in the later stages of the tournament.
AZE.US