It’s Time to Fire Sylvinho: Albania Deserves Better

[Simboli i Diellit]

The patience has run out. After a string of uninspiring performances, it's clearer than ever: Sylvinho has no business leading the Albanian national team. His tenure has been marked by confusion, questionable decisions, and an alarming disconnect with the talent at his disposal.

Let’s be honest—he’s had years. Sylvinho has had ample time to study the players, understand the squad’s strengths, and build a cohesive, competitive team. Instead, what we’ve seen is a disjointed mess. Promising talents are either benched or left out altogether, while players like Manaj—whose performances don’t even belong in a top-tier professional setting—continue to start matches.

How does a national team manager not know his best eleven after all this time? How can a coach justify sidelining in-form, fit players in favor of individuals who contribute little to nothing on the pitch? It's either incompetence or indifference—and neither is acceptable.

Fans aren't blind. They see a team that should be pushing forward, playing with intensity, passion, and clarity. Instead, they get a group of athletes thrown onto the field with no clear strategy, no fire, and no leadership from the bench.

Albania has talented players playing in top leagues across Europe. The potential is there. What’s missing is the right coach—someone who knows the squad, plays the right players, and has a real plan. Asani's fortunate steak of goals guaranteed him qualifying last EURO'S but luck can run out.

It's time for the Albanian Football Association to take responsibility. Enough excuses. Enough wasted time. The team needs a reset before it’s too late.

Fire Sylvinho. Albania deserves better.

[artan]

I’ve always called Sylvinho a fraud. He’s the luckiest manager I’ve seen who constantly got bailed out from Asani and Bajrami wonder goals and also with help from VAR. Without that he’s a slightly better Edi Reja.

He’s such a coward when it comes to formation and it’s the same thing Reja would do. Play flat and defensive formations that have no chances of scoring. There’s been at times where he’s implementing a high pace and counterattacking system but he refuses to play it constantly. Against big teams he plays for draws or to defend a 1-0 defeat.

Such an overrated manager. And any manager who constantly starts Rey Manay should be executed.

[RedFootballs]

Who would you hire?

We aren't a big country. We don't have access to top managers.

If we sack him the only idea would be to go for an Albanian speaking coach or the return of DB.

[Aurora Bulkualis]

We need Ilir Daja for Albania, but Duka has a foreign fetish.

[Redijupison]

Ppl were calling for the likes of Asani, Ramadani, Seferi to be benched, now after that actually happened, nothing has changed in the way Albania plays, same passive style. I can't see Sylvinho turning this around.

[Princ]

Albania has talented players playing in top leagues across Europe.

Who are these players?

Albania is full of bench warmers and fringe guys from top leagues..

Broja hasn’t played meaningful minutes since Southampton 3 years ago. He doesn’t really stand out anymore like he used to back in the day. It’s unfortunate but it has to be said..

The best players from qualification Bajrami, Ramadani, Asani have fallen off big time and it shows.

Let’s not pretend we have a super team that’s underachieving. The players are just average, and they don’t have the toughness needed to compensate for that..

I think it’s time to rebuild with guys like Muci and Medon Berisha immediately and set ourselves up for next EURO qualifiers..

[Dallku]

Ppl were calling for the likes of Asani, Ramadani, Seferi to be benched, now after that actually happened, nothing has changed in the way Albania plays, same passive style. I can't see Sylvinho turning this around.

It's pointless if you benched them to replace them with Manaj and Hoxha who are just as bad.

Plus you have Laci be your #10, your main creator... Against superior teams ok it makes sense because he's there to help defend but you're telling me Laci is supposed to break down bunkers? That's a player who treats the ball like he's holding a live grenade. Your #10 is supposed to be more comfortable on the ball than anyone.

But obviously it's not just a player/name thing. The players reflect the fear of the coach. He plays only to not concede many goals. You can see the fullbacks are instructed to never go forward and everyone's immediate reaction is to pass backwards. It's all about playing as safe as possible.

He should've been gone after the Euros. It was all downhill from there.

[Dallku]

We need Ilir Daja for Albania, but Duka has a foreign fetish.

Hard to support someone who's part of blatant match fixing in year 2025.

Look at the Dinamo/Skenderbeu fiasco from a few months ago. Albanian coaches are too rotten to the core.

[artan]

Albania has talented players playing in top leagues across Europe.

Who are these players?

Albania is full of bench warmers and fringe guys from top leagues..

Broja hasn’t played meaningful minutes since Southampton 3 years ago. He doesn’t really stand out anymore like he used to back in the day. It’s unfortunate but it has to be said..

The best players from qualification Bajrami, Ramadani, Asani have fallen off big time and it shows.

Let’s not pretend we have a super team that’s underachieving. The players are just average, and they don’t have the toughness needed to compensate for that..

I think it’s time to rebuild with guys like Muci and Medon Berisha immediately and set ourselves up for next EURO qualifiers..

The tactics are trash. He’s playing three conservative midfielders out there and only one real winger in Hoxha who’s not even good to begin with. Broja isn’t a winger and playing him out wide to accommodate Manaj is crazy.

It’s a team with no counter attacking or pace. It’s super defensive and designed to make the game as slow as possible to hold out for a draw. In the last qualifiers Sylvinho atleast had pace out there with Bajrami as the #10 who actually was a threat on the counters and Asani out wide was always a threat. Seferi was an amateur but atleast he tried defensively allowing Mitaj to overlap.

Now the team is flat. And honestly Manaj is just an awful player. Playing Broja as the lone striker and getting some true wingers like Muci and bajrami or Mehmeti on the wings would be a big difference

[Princ]

In the last qualifiers Sylvinho atleast had pace out there with Bajrami as the #10 who actually was a threat on the counters and Asani out wide was always a threat. Seferi was an amateur but atleast he tried defensively allowing Mitaj to overlap.

Yeah and Bajrami isn’t that guy anymore..

Bajrami was special but fell off big time and you are seeing the results.

Nobody else can fill that role..

Albania has not had a number 10 like 2023 Bajrami in our history!