Latvian national team defender Antonijs Chernomordijs, who could not help the national team in October due to health problems, believes that the unit is disappointed by the poor realization of goal scoring opportunities, which is being intensified in training, the footballer reveals in a conversation with the Latvian Football Federation (LFF).
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Why weren’t you with a favorite in October?
Initially, I was invited to a national team training camp, but before the Premier League game, I felt leg pain. Together we decided that it was better to stay in the club and heal the injury so that I would be ready to help the team in November.
Leg pain has haunted you for a long time. Was it the same leg this time?
No, no, this time it was a small problem for the other leg. Now, thank God, everything is fine, I have healed everything, and now I am ready to play for all one hundred percent.
How was it to look at the national team matches from the sidelines?
I was in the stadium for the game with Malta, sitting in the stands. Of course, it was very painful to look at it. There were a lot of good scoring opportunities to decide the fate of the game already in the first half. Nothing to do! Now we look at the upcoming matches as an opportunity to correct past mistakes and make progress.
This is the third training camp this year. Has the mutual understanding of the players and getting used to the requirements of the head coach already increased?
Of course, we get better and better with each passing month. We are forming a team, with each subsequent training camp there are improvements. Now the main accent we work on more in training is realization. During the games, we create enough episodes to score. Disappoint sales. This is exactly what is emphasized in the training work – we have to score a goal and win three points. Everyone is waiting for the first victory, ourselves, the players – the most. In the next game, we will do our best to regain the taste of victory.
Scoring a goal is the main task of the front line, but you, as the center guard, sometimes have such opportunities.
Would like more often. It happens, but not as often as I would like. A center defender needs two things to score – a good center and a winning position. Must be able to play to overtake, be the first to get to the ball. Next is the technical question – will you hit the gate? If you hit well, the goalkeeper can be free.
The main goalkeeper Pavel Steinbor can not help us in this training camp. However, mutual understanding between the guards and the goalkeeper is important. How do you think our new defense player block will understand?
It is a pity, of course, that there will be no Pavel, but we have three other goalkeepers besides him. I hope that there will be no problems and that we will soon find a common language. No matter which goalkeeper plays, whichever guards play, I think everything should be fine.
You should probably have a particularly good contact with one of the goalkeepers.
Well, yes, that’s how it gets with Robert [Ozolu] we have been in the club for a long time. We know each other, we don’t play together for the first season, so I wouldn’t have any problems with him personally.
Has the San Marino sample already been analyzed? Can you say something about that?
Let’s analyze the opponent on the day before the game. In the summer in the European Cups with the club we played against San Marino team “Tre Fiori”. I didn’t participate in the game at that time, I watched the match from the stands. I think a similar scenario is expected in the square this time. The coach will also show the strengths and weaknesses of the opponents, show the way how to win the match.
Now any thoughts on a game with San Marino? Or are you already thinking about playing against the Faroe Islands?
Each game is important in the team. But, of course, the UEFA League of Nations is the most anticipated victory. Everyone is waiting. In four games we only have three draws. Nobody likes it. We want to win. Obviously, we do not forget about the game with San Marino. There are no matches in the team that would not matter. Each subsequent game is the most important. But the main duel this month will be against the Faroe Islands. They must be won in order to gain the much-needed confidence and belief in one’s own strength.
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