Very hard to surprise with new faces in the team / Day

Kazakevich has called six potential newcomers to the national team before the upcoming UEFA League of Nations games in September. Of the 24 candidates, goalkeepers Roberts Ozols and Dāvis Ošs, defenders Elvis Stuglis, Krišs Kārkliņš and Vladislavs Sorokins, as well as midfielder Alvis Jaunzems have not played for the national team so far.

Kazakevich noted at a press conference on Thursday that the principles of composition selection have not changed.

“Firstly, the team must have players with a clear motivation to play for the national team and achieve results. Secondly, they must have the appropriate skills to meet the requirements of the national team. Thirdly, they must be able to fit into the team, team play and values,” Kazakevich emphasized.

“The fact that one of the players is not on the list today does not mean that they will not have a path to the national team in the future. Unfortunately, Daniel Ontuzan, Christor Tober and Vitaly Maksimenko will not be able to help. explained Kazakevich.

Andris Vānins, the long-term goalkeeper of the national team, is not on the list of candidates for the national team, nor has the defender Vitalijs Jagodinskis received the invitation.

“Andris is currently at a stage when he needs to find out if he will continue his career. We see one of the experienced goalkeepers in the first goalkeeper role. Jagodinskis was on the expanded list of 28 people, this time the choice was in favor of other center defenders. is his real appearance in one of the nearest training camps, “noted Kazakevich.

The head coach of the Latvian national team also wanted to evaluate the skills of the midfielder Ontuzan, who is in the Bayern system in Munich.

“I have spoken to him and his representatives. He has now returned from rent and is under the auspices of Bayern. There will probably be no clarity about his future in the near future. Unfortunately, the situation is that he was injured, so I can’t be sure of his qualities,” Kazakevich said.

Some of the footballers will probably play in other positions, for example, Vladislav Fyodorov, who is the outfield defender in the “Riga” team this season, but has also been a striker and midfielder during his career.

“When evaluating the quality of the players, we evaluate the opportunities to retrain for positions that are close to them. We will get answers in the first days of the training camp. We focus on the available resources, from which we will make decisions regarding tactical solutions,” Kazakevičs noted.

Asked why striker Dāvis Ikaunieks, who has recently been prevented from showing his best performance, has been invited to the national team, the national team coach emphasized that it would not be correct for him to talk about personalities. Kazakevich also had to comment on why the most productive Latvian footballer of the Premier League – 18-year-old “Metta” striker Raimonds Krollis – has not been invited to the national team.

“My principle is to stabilize this circle of 28-30 players. I have no doubt about Dāvis’ mastery and that he would be worthy to play for the national team. I have seen many Raimonds Kroļlis games live. At the moment, I am not sure that he can get enough playing time in the national team. I see more of a place for him in the U – 21 national team, where he can get minutes in international games, “explained Kazakevich, who is in sight of some other U – 21 age group players. “Their names are not called, because I do not want to give any signals in public. Alvis Jaunzems has a chance to come to real minutes, but Raimonds did not see them.”

Kazakevičs also commented on why Dāvis Ošs has been called as the third goalkeeper, who has recently had unsuccessful games at the club.

“If we are currently analyzing the situation with the players, Dāvis’ choice is potentially the most correct, taking into account both his parameters and the playing time. He will have a good opportunity to prove himself in the national team training process, most likely as the third goalkeeper,” Kazakevičs admitted.

Seven years ago, five footballers were excluded from Kazakevich’s U-21 national team due to disciplinary violations, including Artūrs Karašauskas, Deniss Rakels and Vyacheslav Isajevs, who have played for the national team in recent years. The trio has not been called to the September games, but Kazakevich had previously indicated that none of these players had their doors closed for the national team.

“That deduction has nothing to do with my choice of these two games. My choice in the first two camps was to invite players I can be sure of. Isaev and Karachaus are currently competing in their positions, but in Rachel’s case, he has to understand his role in the team. “I want to look for underwater rocks, then there are none. I am sure that at some stage one of these players may appear in the team,” explained Kazakevich.

According to him, one of the factors that prevented good results in previous years was the lack of leadership in the team.

“You will have to look for new leaders and trust them. Not everyone is a leader by nature. And not everyone can keep their quality on the field by taking the lead. I think in the first camp the captain’s bandage will be kept, but in the second camp the players will vote for the captain and two assistant captains. , “discovered Kazakevich.

The Latvian national team lost in nine games in the qualifying cycle of the 2021 European Championship and at the end won Austria 1: 0.

“I think the games against Austria and Slovenia sent positive signals and it would only be wise to use them. There will definitely be a number of players who were not against Austria, but have a good chance of being in the starting line-up. It’s very hard to surprise with new faces in the national team There were a huge number of footballers who were invited to the national team and some also made their debut in it, “concluded Kazaekvičs.

He also made no secret of the fact that the tight schedule of the Latvian Football Super League significantly increases the risk of injuries. “I hope that the Riga derby and the Eurocup games will bring visible football and that all football players will maintain their health,” Kazakevičs emphasized.

The Latvian national football team will host Andorra on its field on September 3 in the UEFA League of Nations, but three days later there will be an away match with Malta.

These games will be Kazakevich’s debut at the helm of the Latvian national team.

The winner of the first group of the League of Nations D will secure a place in the C league of the next season or in the third level by force. The weakest national teams in the D league play.

The second game in the League of Nations in September will also be the last for the Latvian national team, but on October 7 a test match is planned with the Montenegrin national team. Three days later, in the League of Nations, a trip to the Faroe Islands will take place, but on October 13, the Maltese team will visit Latvia.

List of Latvian national football team candidates for the September UEFA League of Nations games:

goalkeepers – Pavel Steinbor (Belastok “Jagiellonia”, Poland), Robert Ozols (“Riga”), Dāvis Ošs (Jūrmala “Spartaks”);

guards – Antonijs Chernomordijs, Elvis Stuglis, Ritvars Rugins (all – “Riga”), Roberts Savavnieks, Vladislavs Sorokins (both – RFS), Kaspars Dubra (“Oleksandriya”, Ukraine), Marcis Osh (Neuchatel “Xamax”, Switzerland), Krišs Kārkliņš (“Valmiera”), Raivis Jurkovskis (“Liepāja”)

midfielders – Artūrs Zjuzins, Jānis Ikaunieks (both – RFS), Eduards Emsis (“Noah”, Armenia), Andrejs Cigaņiks (Luhansk “Zorja”, Ukraine), Vladislav Fyodorov (“Riga”), Alvis Jaunzems (“Valmiera”), Gļebs Kļuškins (Marijampole “Sūduva”, Lithuania), Mārtiņš Ķigurs (“Liepāja”), Igors Tarasovs (Kuopio “Palloseura”, Finland);

attackers – Vladislav Gutkowski (Czestochowa “Rakow”, Poland), Robert Uldrik (“Sion”, Switzerland), Dāvis Ikaunieks (“Mlada Boleslav”, Czech Republic).

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