Few words on Qarabağ’s performance in Europa League Rock bottom

The group stage of the Europa League has come to an end, with 36 clubs competing, including Aghdam’s Qarabağ. At the start of the stage, Azerbaijani fans and football experts were optimistic about the team's chances of overcoming this hurdle, with few doubting that the country’s best club would progress further, at least making it into the top 24. However, as time went on, this optimism faded, shrinking like "chagrin leather."

By the time Qarabağ entered its final, eighth match of the stage, it had only 3 points and ranked 34th out of 36 participants. Earlier, the Aghdam club had suffered defeats against Tottenham (0-3), Malmö (1-2), Ajax (0-3), Lyon (1-4), Elfsborg (0-1), and FCSB (2-3), managing only one victory against Bodø/Glimt (2-1) – and even in that match, they were inferior to the modest Norwegian side in almost every aspect.

It seemed like things couldn’t get any worse, but in the final match against Olympiacos, Qarabağ had only one hope—to deliver a resounding victory and salvage some pride from an otherwise disastrous campaign. Especially since just three years ago, the team had crushed the Greeks 3-0 in front of their own fans. But reality proved even harsher—Gurban Gurbanov’s men suffered the same 3-0 defeat and ultimately finished in last place, 36th, in the Europa League group stage.

Now, defenders of the head coach will argue that Qarabağ has been reaching the group stages of European competitions for 11 consecutive seasons, that the club’s budget is significantly smaller than those of its opponents, and that there is virtually no competition within the domestic league, among other excuses. But numbers don’t lie. Over these eleven seasons, the Aghdam side has collected just 67 points—an average of 6 points per campaign—which is hardly a source of pride. Throughout these years, the team has dropped points in matches after which the club’s management should have held the responsible parties accountable, whether the coach or the players. However, no action was taken, allowing everyone to feel untouchable—something that, as we know, never leads to success in sports.

If we look at the list of 24 clubs that advanced, we’ll see many teams that Qarabağ had comfortably beaten in the recent past—from Bodø/Glimt to Ferencváros. Of course, losing heavily to European sides like Ajax and Tottenham is understandable (though neither can truly be called giants), but when Olympiacos thrashes you and you manage just one shot on target the entire match, neither budget constraints nor playing away from home can be used as an excuse. Especially when, just three years ago, Qarabağ played the same team on the same pitch and won by the exact same scoreline—only in their favour.

The reality is simple: some players—once Mahammadaliyev, now Zoubir—have come to see themselves as untouchable, while others, like Nariman Akhundzade and Elvin Jafarguliyev, have completely lost their footing and no longer give everything on the pitch as they did not so long ago.

It must be acknowledged that when a team concedes six goals from corner kicks alone in its last three matches, the problem isn’t just with the players—it’s also down to coaching errors. And let’s not forget the club’s management, which for the second season in a row has failed to strengthen the squad with even a single player of mid-tier European quality.

That said, I fully agree with Gurban Gurbanov on one key point: “Would a player worth several million actually want to join Qarabağ?” Would a footballer who, just yesterday, was facing the likes of Bayern, PSG, or even Ajax in his domestic league be eager to play against Sabah, Kəpəz, or Şamaxı? Personally, I can name only a handful of such risk-takers in the entire history of Azerbaijani football—like Honda or Essien.

Sadly, this isn’t just Qarabağ’s problem—it’s an issue for Azerbaijani football as a whole. Wouldn’t you agree, gentlemen?

By Vugar Vugarli, exclusively for Caliber.Az