Princ wrote: ↑Tue Aug 11, 2020 6:42 pm
CanaYouDoIt wrote: ↑Tue Aug 11, 2020 12:36 pm
Yup , it’s not all doom and gloom for Albania. A couple decent attackers and they’re easily better than Kosove . They can’t defend at all .
Kosovo’s attack is on another level compared to ours, but their midfield is also much better.. Our lot of graveyard workers do not compare to the likes of V. Berisha, Idriz Voca, Bersant Celina plus all the other second rate Swiss prospects like Toma and the boys that they are stacking up.
There is also a false notion that Kosovo’s defense sucks. Rrahmani, Vojvoda, Aliti and Hadergjonaj are not bad at all, while their other full back Kololli was absolutely on fire to end the season. Nowhere did I see any of these boys to give up two goals at home to a bottom dweller like Andorra.. In fact, they were on a two year unbeaten streak from November 13, 2017 until England finally broke it on September 10, 2019. During that run, they faced the likes of Denmark and beat Czech Republic, also destroying Albania 3-0 in the process.
Albania is in desperate need of midfielders and attackers.. and now with Kosovo being the primary destination for second rate Western European prospects, that leaves our player selection pool absolutely decimated to Superliga players. The doom and gloom is real, this is the lowest point of the Albanian NT.
Kosovo's midfield currently isn't much better than ours. Gjasula, Bare, Abrashi, Xhaka, etc, are probably on the same level as Kosovo's midfield. We just had a rough patch where guys like Ramadani, Kristi Qose and the corpses of Memushaj and Basha would constantly start. Kosova's attacking third just absolutely wrecks us which is where the main difference lies. All of Rashica, Muriqi, Zenelli, Berisha, Celina, even Zhegrova, would walk in our lineup.
Our midfield situation isn't as bad as it was a few years ago post Euro 2016 but it's still painfully average. FSHF still needs to poach one of the defensive midfielders in Switzerland (such as Fazli who is from Presheva) as cover for Gjasula and has his replacement. Nedim Bajrami would also be a great addition as well (From Macedonia so Kosovo can't swoop him up) and he'll be good enough to start in the midfield or as a winger. I'm curious about Enes Cokaj and Sherrif Kallaku too.
Defensive Midifelders (holding): Gjasula, Fazli, Cokaj
Center Midfielders: Abrashi, Bare, Bajrami, Ndoj, Selahi, Kallaku, Xhaka
Bajrami and Selahi both seem like box to box midfielders. Kallaku seems like a "Number 10" in the mold of a Pogba (obviously nowhere as good), Abrashi and Bare are both pitbulls with Bare being more technical while Abrashi more defensive. Xhaka is still decent but I think he's not interested in the NT anymore.