Albanian National Team [General topic]

With memories of the golden years (80's) of the albanian football still fresh on her mind, Albania is now attempting to recreate its strong football legacy. As young players start making their names abroad, the future is looking bright for Albanian football!

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ZenMaster
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I believe it's masochism to watch Albania national team games! Everyone wants Panucci head but his only fault was accepting the job in first place. Albanians don't give a shit about national team otherwise they would talked about more MARLIND NURIU phenomen and less about Panucci. We are living consequences of "Skenderbeu model" or better say Duka's personal business. Kategoria Superiore in last 10 years is complete farce, only served to for enrichment of Armando Duka and his retriviers. I must give Duka credit for making everyone part of this criminal system, his propaganda machine (Supersport) manipulates perfectly public opinion, they have reached to convince a city there is a international conspiracy against their team. We have commentators who have more executive power than national team coaches and nobody cares. We lost the likes of Bardhi,Rashica,Avdijaj,Rrahmani,Lirim Kastrati,Arber Zeneli because we had to create tigers from paper as Latifi,Gavazaj to sell them in Syberia. I never appriciated Jupi as person but now i have impression that he was only professional guy who ever worked in DUKA era, since he left we have tribal organisation who uses NT team even for touristic purposes. Marlind Nuriu is just blatant example, a guy who barely played professional football get's convocated constanly while a talented player as Mala remains home without explanation. We blame parents for "lack of patriotism" but would you trusted your children career to Bushi,Rrakli &co?
Kuqaloshi maoist
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artan
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^^ Very well said Zen.

You have to wonder about the state of Albanian football when the best products the country has produced in the past 10 years have been Balaj, Roshi, Rrahmani, Bernard Berisha and Cikaleshi. We've been relying on diaspora players but that will come to a halt as Kosova will take the better players and we may still continue to lose other talents to Macedonia. Were left with the Qaka's that remain. It's bad now but wait until the last remaining cohort from Di Baisi's tenure starts to age and decline(players that are average to begin with). We're gonna be on the same level as Armenia.

And going back to your post I remember a year or so ago Bushi (Jupi could have been the coach at the time) called up amateur players with no professional experience from their own private academy to the U-21. Pure nepotism at it's finest.
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Aurora Bulkualis
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To be fair all the big moments have come from Superliga players. That big win vs. Norway that popped our away games cherry, was a Bulku assist/Salihi goal. Against Portugal, it was a Roshi assist/Balaj goal. At EUROs, it was Lila assist/Sadiku assist. Against Armenia, it was Memushaj/Sadiku who scored. I'd say Superliga has been the strongest it's been in at least a decade (granted that's still shit in the grand scheme of things). Those 10 teams are almost even with each other.

The main problem is not the level of the league, but the lack of talents. Grassroots is trash, because only kids whose parents have money can play. My cousins have to pay like 200 bucks a month to play at youth levels, which is like someone's monthly wage. When you look at guys like Tare/Bogdani/Lala/Skela they were fucking broke as kids. Those opportunities aren't afforded to you anymore.
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artan
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Let’s be real.. The core of that Euro team was filled with diaspora players. Cana, Xhaka, Mavraj, Berisha, Abrashi, Ajeti, Lenjani, Kukeli, Gashi, etc. We only had like 2 or 3 non diaspora players starting.

And you forgot the crucial goals that was scored by Lenjani against Denmark, Mavraj and Gashi against Armenia, Berisha’s performance besides the last few matches, etc. I would say that if someone like Mavraj never joined the NT we never qualify as he was instrumental. Even Xhaka as well who I thought was our best player that qualification campaign.

We would have been worst than Armenia without these guys. And Memushaj was developed in Italy as well as Hysaj. The only guys who were domestic talents were Sadiku, Cika, Agoli and Roshi. There’s always going to be diaspora talent but it will be harder and we’ll have to poach then earlier like how we got Grezda. Maybe the Italian diaspora will start to produce some players but I doubt so since Albanians have been immigrating to Italy since the fall of communism and the only notable player to come out is Hysaj who I consider a cross breed of both countries systems.
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The diaspora should only be seen as a bonus not a necessity. That's why I couldn't care less if a diaspora player refuses. I used to care more a decade ago but now I couldn't care less. I actually expect them to refuse nowadays.

The biggest disappointment when it comes to talents is Cekici. I had hope in him but he seems to be taking steps backwards than forward. He was hot or cold for the u-21 but I still think he was better than Rashica when they played together. He clearly had (has?) the talent. Maybe too many injuries. Not sure.
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And I predict that De Biasi will return as head coach eventually. (maybe even after next month) He still watches all NT games and he knows that was his calling card. Panucci wont last.
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Aurora Bulkualis
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There's no way De Biasi is joining again. Duka clearly saw that his style of play is not going to work when players lost their motivation. DB was starting to lose the locker room.

With Panucci once in a while we've managed to play good football. His only problem is tinkering too much.
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Aurora Bulkualis
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artan wrote: Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:12 pm Let’s be real.. The core of that Euro team was filled with diaspora players. Cana, Xhaka, Mavraj, Berisha, Abrashi, Ajeti, Lenjani, Kukeli, Gashi, etc. We only had like 2 or 3 non diaspora players starting.

And you forgot the crucial goals that was scored by Lenjani against Denmark, Mavraj and Gashi against Armenia, Berisha’s performance besides the last few matches, etc. I would say that if someone like Mavraj never joined the NT we never qualify as he was instrumental. Even Xhaka as well who I thought was our best player that qualification campaign.

We would have been worst than Armenia without these guys. And Memushaj was developed in Italy as well as Hysaj. The only guys who were domestic talents were Sadiku, Cika, Agoli and Roshi. There’s always going to be diaspora talent but it will be harder and we’ll have to poach then earlier like how we got Grezda. Maybe the Italian diaspora will start to produce some players but I doubt so since Albanians have been immigrating to Italy since the fall of communism and the only notable player to come out is Hysaj who I consider a cross breed of both countries systems.
None of those were crucial goals, so to speak. The big moments like Portugal, or Romania in EUROs, came from Superliga players. (Also, I wouldn't call Berisha a diaspora player either. He left Kosova at like 19).

Fact of the matter is any decent forward will be snapped quickly by foreign teams. That's why most of our diaspora players are defensive minded. Sure the core was the diaspora, since we were a defence-first team, but when it came to really taking the next step, it was always Superliga players.
"Cheap things you can buy in bulk, but Bulku is priceless" Ervin Xhevahir Bulku
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artan
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How weren't they crucial goals lol? Lenjani's superb goal out of nowhere against Denmark got us a point. If we don't draw that match Denmark finishes second and we would have went to the playoff round. Mavraj on one leg scored the equalizer against Armenia and Gashi had that header to win the game at 2-1. Even the first goal in the away match at Armenia was scored by Gym. And don't give me no BS goal against Norway that didn't mean anything lol. Again if you take a guy like Mavraj out of the team alone we wouldn't have qualified.

This is what our lineup would have been during those qualifiers without diaspora:
--------Balaj--Cikaleshi
Roshi--Lilaj --Memushaj--Lila
Agoli-Fejzallahu-Rrahmani-Trashi
------------Shehi

That's an awful lineup. Maybe we would have got a point in the home match against Armenia.
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artan
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Vullnet Basha is still available for us right? Looks like he's playing well in Poland (league leaders). We're kinda full in the central midfield department but he should get a call up.

https://www.transfermarkt.com/vullnet-b ... eler/56324
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