Albanian National Team [General topic]

[CanaYouDoIt]

Wrong, really wrong, if anything, its the opposite.

Nearly all the most important players have been guys who were called amateurs by this forum or who don't play in top leagues (Asani, Ramadani [only recently Serie A], Seferi, Daku, Mitaj).

Of course, the top level experience has been very important, but as too have the so called amateurs who in fact gave us the goals for the qualification.

If anything, what this qualification showed us is you have to give the spots off who gives the best performance, not who plays for the best club. Using a top leaguer criteria, Asani, Seferi, Daku and Mitaj would never play as they all have top 5 league players ahead of them. Sylvinho's principle is to give the spots to who plays well and it is working.

I disagree, the spine of the team is made up of guys who’ve played at the top level for years (or guys who have played in a good league) (Djim, Hysaj, Asllani, Ramadani, Bajrami, Ismajli) , they’ve been supported by others who are not as good players in lower level leagues like Asani. Asani has scored amazing goals but the rest of his game is subpar, but for us that’s all we need.

The problem came when we were playing guys like Balaj over Broja or Doka over Balliu, the gulf in talent is just too much. Ramadani was a liability for us just 2 years ago, the move to scotland and now italy has helped him develop to another level, that’s the whole point, playing in better leagues gets you better coaching , you play against better players etc.

Jeni pak qesharak me kete insistimin qe "nuk ja kemi fut kot per Ramadanin", lojtari qe osht masakru ne forum osht kan Ylberi prej te gjitheve, tash qe ka shku te Lecce pernihere u bo top level e deri dje amator. Nese ka lojtar qe osht pothuajse i njejte prej se ja ka nis me lujt osht Ramadani prej kohes se Sormanit, cka ka sot ma shume osht eksperienca por cilesite si lojtar i ka te njejta. Nuk osht bre marre me pranu se qe ja keni fut kot, se ka alamet trajnera e profesionsta qe ja fusin kot e paguhen e jetojn prej futbollit. Thjesht mos vazhdoni me keto teorite "top level" e liga e forte e dobet se jane dokrra hini mas super performances te Jasir Asanit e Seferit ne Kombetare. Shtylla e skuadres edhe meritoret e kualifikimit jane Asani, nja tre vende zbrazet pastaj vjen Bajrami e pas tij Asllani e Ramadani,Mitaj. Djimsiti me Ismajlin kan tregu nivel okay ama Hysaj edhe keto eliminatore ka qene ma i dobeti, me Polonine lojen e pare na ka marr ne qafe edhe me Ishujt Faroe e ka bo maksimumin me na marr ne qafe edhe me Polonine ne Air Albania te vetmen shance polakve ne pjesen e dyte jau dhuron me vendosje gabim.

You’re just straight up being disingenuous if Djimisiti , Hysaj have only played “ok” while calling Seferi a super player. Seferi is not good, along with Cikalleshi he’s the weak point of the teams.

Anyway Ramadani was shit until last early this year , there’s no denying that, he’s taken a leap forward at Aberdeen and another this summer.

Take out the top leaguers and we’re nothing but a Moldova level nation, it’s delusional to think their quality isn’t obviously better than others.

[Dallku]

Wrong, really wrong, if anything, its the opposite.

Nearly all the most important players have been guys who were called amateurs by this forum or who don't play in top leagues (Asani, Ramadani [only recently Serie A], Seferi, Daku, Mitaj).

Of course, the top level experience has been very important, but as too have the so called amateurs who in fact gave us the goals for the qualification.

If anything, what this qualification showed us is you have to give the spots off who gives the best performance, not who plays for the best club. Using a top leaguer criteria, Asani, Seferi, Daku and Mitaj would never play as they all have top 5 league players ahead of them. Sylvinho's principle is to give the spots to who plays well and it is working.

All those players except Asani and Seferi are top league level.

Asani gives Alban Meha energy. Can he play if those 35m screamers don't go in?? All he does is lose the ball. Same with Seferi who's an absolute amateur. People are so reactionary and think goal = good by default. Seferi's goals were as much of an accident as Cikalleshi's assist to him.

Mitaj made his u21 debut at 16 and the Russians paid nearly 4 million without him having played a professional game. He was always guaranteed to be a senior player and has top league potential easily.

[RedFootballs]

Wrong, really wrong, if anything, its the opposite.

Nearly all the most important players have been guys who were called amateurs by this forum or who don't play in top leagues (Asani, Ramadani [only recently Serie A], Seferi, Daku, Mitaj).

Of course, the top level experience has been very important, but as too have the so called amateurs who in fact gave us the goals for the qualification.

If anything, what this qualification showed us is you have to give the spots off who gives the best performance, not who plays for the best club. Using a top leaguer criteria, Asani, Seferi, Daku and Mitaj would never play as they all have top 5 league players ahead of them. Sylvinho's principle is to give the spots to who plays well and it is working.

All those players except Asani and Seferi are top league level.

Asani gives Alban Meha energy. Can he play if those 35m screamers don't go in?? All he does is lose the ball. Same with Seferi who's an absolute amateur. People are so reactionary and think goal = good by default. Seferi's goals were as much of an accident as Cikalleshi's assist to him.

Mitaj made his u21 debut at 16 and the Russians paid nearly 4 million without him having played a professional game. He was always guaranteed to be a senior player and has top league potential easily.

This is all revisionism. If you or other people here were asked 6 months ago about all 5 players you would say all of them are total amateurs and should never touch the NT.

Also you said top leaguers not top league potential. Daku and Mitaj don't play in a top league. Here you are acknowledging that your club career doesn't necessarily indicate your ability total. Daku in particular has been hopping around low level Euro leagues and even now has 2 goal in 11 starts in the Russian league. He isn't lighting anything up and probably isn't close to transferring to any top league. Yet, he has been very impressive for Albania. Mitaj can't even start for Locomotiv Moscow and you are counting him as a 'top league player'. Doesn't that show you how club career and NT performance sometimes isn't connected!?!?!

The lesson here is that your club career doesn't have to reflect your ability. There are a lot of different reasons why someone might play very well with the national team and not with their club all the time.

Shitting on Asani is incredible to me because without him we don't qualify. You say 'remove the 35 yard screamers against Poland and Czechia and Moldova' like that's a small thing anyone can do. We have been crying out for a player like that for decades.

But also, he has 3 assists, not just 3 goals, so he was a key creator as well as scorer. He also works a lot on the defensive part of the game.

Regarding Seferi I think you are being very harsh. In particular, the 1st goal is an excellent finish, there was only one spot it could go as he hit it between the defender and the goalie in front of the goal.

Seferi is a player who its easy to say he is trash because of some of his records but looking further into it you can see during his career he has been very unlucky with injuries. He spent 2 or 3 years out early in his career because of repeated long term injuries and probably stagnated a lot because of that.

I see good things in him. Watch some of his highlights from Ukraine, he's actually a very good finisher and has smart box movement. He scored in both games they played against Shakhtar Donetsk. And plus, Sylvinho has chosen him over the top leaguer multiple times now... despite being an 'absolute amateur'... would think Sylvinho so far wouldn't have done this well by playing absolute amateurs over top league players.

[CanaYouDoIt]

No I’m sorry but Seferi is honestly just rubbish , the guy has no outstanding qualities, I don’t care he’s shit

[Dallku]

Also you said top leaguers not top league potential. Daku and Mitaj don't play in a top league.

It's simple.

IMO a top leaguer = a player capable of starting in a top 4 league for an extended period of time. Potential matters too. How do you compare Mitaj who was sold for 4 million to Asani and Seferi who COMBINED are not valued at 4 million during their whole careers? There are levels and nothing is a coincidence. Mario not playing in Russia for the same reason Legia benches Muci when he scores every game for them. Doesn't mean anything.

So not everyone who plays in a top league is a top leaguer and vice versa. For example Veseli played in a top league but his career proves that he's historically a Serie B player.

[RedFootballs]

Also you said top leaguers not top league potential. Daku and Mitaj don't play in a top league.

It's simple.

IMO a top leaguer = a player capable of starting in a top 4 league for an extended period of time. Potential matters too. How do you compare Mitaj who was sold for 4 million to Asani and Seferi who COMBINED are not valued at 4 million during their whole careers? There are levels and nothing is a coincidence. Mario not playing in Russia for the same reason Legia benches Muci when he scores every game for them. Doesn't mean anything.

So not everyone who plays in a top league is a top leaguer and vice versa. For example Veseli played in a top league but his career proves that he's historically a Serie B player.

Daku wasnt ever sold for big money... nor is his club record anything spectacular... nor is his current record. But to you he counts as a top league player, despite never having played there and not excelling at currently a lower level?

Same with Mitaj. These clubs don't bench players just because they are Albanian. They have reasons beyond that.

Balliu is a key player for a mid table LaLiga club that regularly takes points off Barca and Madrid. Yet he barely gets a game for Albania. Why? He's a experienced, consolidated top league player - why can't he play ahead of a bench player in the Russian league.

Uzuni is a starter for Granada in LaLiga... yet cant play ahead of absolute amateur village player Seferi. Why?

There are clearly other circumstances you don't consider in NT performance. Sylvinho sees them. Its about more than your club's prestige.

[CanaYouDoIt]

Are you forgetting Mitaj is an actual LB while Balliu is a RB?

But again you’re mixing up guys like Mitaj who is 20 and been bought by a big russian team compared to guys like Seferi is just bad. That 2nd goal is him in a nutshell, Daku has a great goalscoring record in his career too. The problem isn’t they don’t play in the top leagues, when you start playing guys like Seferi over more talented players it hinders us.

Example: Balaj over Broja

Again the spine of the team is made up of guys in top leagues, they’re not there for no reason.

Also one big factor is age. Mitaj, Muci are at the beginning of their careers while Asani and Seferi won’t get better. When they hinder the progress of youngsters it’s a problem like under Reja.

This started when someone tried to take a cheap shot at the “professional leagues” debate. Let’s play guys from albania, croatia , south korea and see what happens without those top players.

[Dallku]

Daku wasnt ever sold for big money... nor is his club record anything spectacular... nor is his current record. But to you he counts as a top league player, despite never having played there and not excelling at currently a lower level?

Same with Mitaj. These clubs don't bench players just because they are Albanian. They have reasons beyond that.

Balliu is a key player for a mid table LaLiga club that regularly takes points off Barca and Madrid. Yet he barely gets a game for Albania. Why? He's a experienced, consolidated top league player - why can't he play ahead of a bench player in the Russian league.

Uzuni is a starter for Granada in LaLiga... yet cant play ahead of absolute amateur village player Seferi. Why?

There are clearly other circumstances you don't consider in NT performance. Sylvinho sees them. Its about more than your club's prestige.

We haven't seen enough of Daku to really have a clear picture about his level but the way he won duels and created chances was impressive. So who knows maybe he could be a top leaguer. You have to look past statistics.

Mitaj could be benched because he looked at the Russian coach wrong. I couldn't care less. With the NT Mitaj has proven that only Asllani is on his level technically.

Balliu doesn't play because in his place plays a super professional - Hysaj. Simple..

The jury is out on Uzuni being a top leaguer. Look at my Veseli reference.. Myrto has only played in La Liga for a few months in total and has stunk up the place. Got relegated once and heading that way again.

[Plako]

All those players except Asani and Seferi are top league level.

Asani gives Alban Meha energy. Can he play if those 35m screamers don't go in?? All he does is lose the ball. Same with Seferi who's an absolute amateur. People are so reactionary and think goal = good by default. Seferi's goals were as much of an accident as Cikalleshi's assist to him.

Mitaj made his u21 debut at 16 and the Russians paid nearly 4 million without him having played a professional game. He was always guaranteed to be a senior player and has top league potential easily.

Asani can surely play. He was our best player in the Moldova home game and Faroes away game.

[Plako]

We haven't seen enough of Daku to really have a clear picture about his level but the way he won duels and created chances was impressive. So who knows maybe he could be a top leaguer. You have to look past statistics.

All we needed was the first 5 minutes when he came in vs Czechia away to see his qualities. He could be Albania's Muriqi. And he's only 25. Big man like him reach maturity a bit later in their careers. Tare/Bogdani played in Serie A and Daku could certainly do the same.