Albanians abroad

[Princ]

It's a fact that Albania has more talent now than it ever had in its history.

In De Biasi's time we used to get excited when we had a Serie B starter.. Now Albanians demand their players perform well at clubs like Roma.

Time to see if all of these super professionals can break Albania into top 25 again, like those low IQ scrubs from the Swiss, Croatian and Greek leagues did in 2015.

[Dallku]

This team desperately needs a Cana. He was hot headed and limited technically, but he was the core of that team. Even construction workers/farmers like Lila were able to get an assist in the EUROs.

I don't like the lethargic attitude that most of our squad seems to have.

This is actually true. Albania definitely lacks leadership right now.

But the talent and potential is undisputed. If you guys have followed football long enough you know that talent is not enough. Serbia always had high level talent(even more than Albania right now) and they always underperformed historically.

Talent is not enough. It's a lot of things that have to go together. Chemistry, coaching, leadership, motivation, etc...

[artan]

This team has more talent than ever but the tactics and lineup choices hinder it's ability. The 3-5-2 clearly fails this team on so many levels and it's painfully obvious to see but for some reason we're still stuck with this because we have a "Serie A backline". Maybe it could work if you have Balliu in place for Trashi and you have a more competent striker pairing than Cika/Manaj (preferably one forward who can make runs) but what we witnessed the past 3 years was a failure. No wingbacks or forwards (up until Broja) to play this formation. No width, no pace, no technical skills. It was just Bare trying to keep possession and Hysaj running around like a headless chicken.

Switch it to a 4-3-3. Broja, Bajrami, Uzuini, Bare, Asllani, Gjasula, Hysaj, Gym, Kumbulla, Balliu and Strakosha. Uzuini and Gjausla's position for grabs to best player available.

[Princ]

Talent is not enough. It's a lot of things that have to go together. Chemistry, coaching, leadership, motivation, etc...

Went from “imagine if we a had a coach who valued talent” to “talent is not enough” real quick.

[Dallku]

Talent is not enough. It's a lot of things that have to go together. Chemistry, coaching, leadership, motivation, etc...

Went from “imagine if we a had a coach who valued talent” to “talent is not enough” real quick.

That only shows that we can't even do the basics... the first step: Putting the most talented players together.

[Plako]

No. I have nothing to back this up but I truly believe he's one of the culprits behind the nepotism in certain players constantly getting called up & selected over the years. I don't think a guy like Reja has the energy or attention span to do his due diligence on players and relies on the "scouts" and insiders for the selection choice. Worst of all Bushi is a yes man. Also his record with the U21 is overrated.

Albania atleast needs a coach who has some balls in making decisions and understands the value of playing your best players (broja, bajrami, balliu, etc).

Just watch Bushi's behavior when Gjim, Rrahmani, Rachica and Shala were kicked off the 2016 squad. Si gardian burgu. That tells you a lot about his attitude and how toxic he can be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3BdIpHD3Mg

[Aurora Bulkualis]

This team desperately needs a Cana. He was hot headed and limited technically, but he was the core of that team. Even construction workers/farmers like Lila were able to get an assist in the EUROs.

I don't like the lethargic attitude that most of our squad seems to have.

This is actually true. Albania definitely lacks leadership right now.

But the talent and potential is undisputed. If you guys have followed football long enough you know that talent is not enough. Serbia always had high level talent(even more than Albania right now) and they always underperformed historically.

Talent is not enough. It's a lot of things that have to go together. Chemistry, coaching, leadership, motivation, etc...

I wouldn't mind underperforming like Serbia. They always qualify.

[Aurora Bulkualis]

I just realized we still haven't started Bajrami and Broja together. If Bajrami can keep up this consistency, we have a potential world class classic 9-10 pairing.

You rarely that shit in modern football anymore. And they're both goalscorers.

[andi2410]

From what I have seen of Bajrami is that he has special moments, but he rarely ever puts in a full performance. He seems to make a lot of mistakes, lurk in the shadows, doesn't really seem to be very involved and does not really show command of the ball/pitch.

I am not sure whether he will ever put it all together, seems to be a matter of lacking heart and determination.

[artan]

From what I have seen of Bajrami is that he has special moments, but he rarely ever puts in a full performance. He seems to make a lot of mistakes, lurk in the shadows, doesn't really seem to be very involved and does not really show command of the ball/pitch.

I am not sure whether he will ever put it all together, seems to be a matter of lacking heart and determination.

I think it's the opposite. I think he's a really good dribbler and he has the ability to shoot. Such a versatile attacking threat because he's comfortable on the wings as well as centrally. What he needs working on is the mental aspect and consistency. Sometimes he doesn't try to make the simple pass or he tries to CR7 it. From what I saw in the late second half of yesterday's match he seemed to be improving. He made the simple passes to work in the offense, understood to take the ball to the corner to milk out the time, etc. He looked really good yesterday in all aspects.

We got lucky with him because he's good enough for Switzerland and might even be starting for them if he stayed.