Albanian National Team [General topic]

[Plako]

Albania without Kos/Mac diaspora:

Strakosha
Hysaj - Kumbulla- Mihaj/Bitri - Mitaj
Asllani---Gjasula(Bare, Laci)--Uzuni
---Rrapaj---
Broja -Muci


Ngl that's not bad at all. That attack is lethal.

EDIT: you can put Shpendi over Rrapaj if you don't trust him but Rrapaj is not that bad.

All those guys are diaspora lol. The Italian/Greek diaspora are included as they aren't domestic players.

The "real" Albanian NT:

--Muci-Cikalleshi-Uzuini
---Bare-Cokaj-Rrapaj(Celhaka)
Trashi-Mersinaj-Bitri-Hoxhallari
--------Strakosha

Strakosha was born in Greece so take him out too. Hysaj moved to Italy from Shkoder at 14.

[Redijupison]

Albania without Kos/Mac diaspora:

Strakosha
Hysaj - Kumbulla- Mihaj/Bitri - Mitaj
Asllani---Gjasula(Bare, Laci)--Uzuni
---Rrapaj---
Broja -Muci


Ngl that's not bad at all. That attack is lethal.

EDIT: you can put Shpendi over Rrapaj if you don't trust him but Rrapaj is not that bad.

Kosova has a way better team on paper and look at the results, @artan is right.

[artan]

Albania without Kos/Mac diaspora:

Strakosha
Hysaj - Kumbulla- Mihaj/Bitri - Mitaj
Asllani---Gjasula(Bare, Laci)--Uzuni
---Rrapaj---
Broja -Muci


Ngl that's not bad at all. That attack is lethal.

EDIT: you can put Shpendi over Rrapaj if you don't trust him but Rrapaj is not that bad.

Kosova has a way better team on paper and look at the results, @artan is right.

Sounds like your trolling but it's the truth. Albania really has benefited from diaspora and the Kosovar/Mac based players. The only negative is that it allows Duka to stay in power and no real attention on improving the Superliga is made as Albania can just recruit diaspora or poach Kosovars/Mac players.

Even Kosovo has a better "domestic" lineup despite being only a FIFA member for 7 years.

-Zhegrova-Muriqi-Rashica
-Muja-Emerallahu-Ramadani
??--Ismajli--Rrahmani-Thaqi
----------Bekaj

Bench: Daku, Berisha, Krasniqi, A.Rrahmani

[Shpati]

http://www.panorama.com.al/sport/marrim ... ohen-ketu/

Analysts like these are clowns and I suspect there are quite a few people in FSHF who share his opinion. It's why guys like Cikaleshi, Balaj, Trashi, etc, have always been undisputed starters over the years because they were "domestic".

Albania will be fighting with Moldova for fourth place without the Kosovars, Macedonians and Diaspora.

This guy is a fucking clown for sure. Team is sitting on top of the group and there's zero need to question the coach at this point. If anuythign we should be excoriating FSHF for not recruiting Bardhi and Alioski from Macedonia. f*** this divisive shit.

It's pretty common to see this behavior in national federations.

It sucks when it makes it's way in the Starting 11 though. Not sure why Cikaleshi is still starting other than him being a "homegrown" player.

You see it all the time with the USA National Team as well. Whenever they make the World Cup, you always have some garbage MLS players get minutes over a player who plays in Europe.

Unfortunately, the FSHF heads will continue pushing these garbage Superliga grown players. They have no choice. Admitting they can only produce garbage means they will be out of a job. You have to throw in a Superliga player here and there to make it look like they are doing something right.

[artan]

http://www.panorama.com.al/sport/marrim ... ohen-ketu/

Analysts like these are clowns and I suspect there are quite a few people in FSHF who share his opinion. It's why guys like Cikaleshi, Balaj, Trashi, etc, have always been undisputed starters over the years because they were "domestic".

Albania will be fighting with Moldova for fourth place without the Kosovars, Macedonians and Diaspora.

This guy is a fucking clown for sure. Team is sitting on top of the group and there's zero need to question the coach at this point. If anuythign we should be excoriating FSHF for not recruiting Bardhi and Alioski from Macedonia. f*** this divisive shit.

It's pretty common to see this behavior in national federations.

It sucks when it makes it's way in the Starting 11 though. Not sure why Cikaleshi is still starting other than him being a "homegrown" player.

You see it all the time with the USA National Team as well. Whenever they make the World Cup, you always have some garbage MLS players get minutes over a player who plays in Europe.

Unfortunately, the FSHF heads will continue pushing these garbage Superliga grown players. They have no choice. Admitting they can only produce garbage means they will be out of a job. You have to throw in a Superliga player here and there to make it look like they are doing something right.

USA is one of the worst offenders of this and will call up any player that they can. Look at a guy like Yunus Musah who is not amercian but was born in America while his mom was on vacation in America. Or the hordes of German-American players.

You will also never see a nation like Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, etc, who will bench a guy like Broja for Cikaleshi or Bajrami for some amateur. Never. Even a country like Macedonia will poach up random Albanian footballers despite the ethnic tensions.

It's been like this for as long as a I can remember. Guys like Duro, Lila, Agoli, Bulku, Dallku, Bogdani, Salihi, Skela, Balaj, etc, playing until the wheels fall off or until they have to retire themselves. I remember when Skela was playing for a third division Polish team but yet was still captaining the team for a match lol. Then there's players like Trashi, Seferi, Hoxhallari, who I suspect were given big roles at times with the NT to raise their market values so the owners of the Tirana teams can potentially profit.

Only Albania does this.

[Aurora Bulkualis]

I don't even think it's the FSHF doing it. Somehow these coaches just develop a fetish for shit players. If they wanted Superliga players, Muci would have started a long time ago (and deservedly so).

[Princ]

It's pretty common to see this behavior in national federations.

It sucks when it makes it's way in the Starting 11 though. Not sure why Cikaleshi is still starting other than him being a "homegrown" player.

You see it all the time with the USA National Team as well. Whenever they make the World Cup, you always have some garbage MLS players get minutes over a player who plays in Europe.

Unfortunately, the FSHF heads will continue pushing these garbage Superliga grown players. They have no choice. Admitting they can only produce garbage means they will be out of a job. You have to throw in a Superliga player here and there to make it look like they are doing something right.

I forgot that FIFA recently changed the scoring criteria so that the country with the most players playing in Europe wins by default now..

Jasir Asani does not play in Europe, but he has done more in 5 matches with Albania than Milot Rashica (former top league superstar) has done in 50 matches with Kosovo.

Why is Cikalleshi still playing? Easy.. we keep winning with him in the lineup. Been a starter in top flight Turkey/Saudi for many years in a row, which means people smarter than you and me have rated him. Not to mention top 5 all time scorer!

[Deni]

Off topic but what’s everyone’s favourite Albania Jersey of all time ? I found my old home Albania Jersey from 2005 and I think that’s probably the best kit we ever had. I like how simplistic it was.

My top two favourite :
2004-2006 home jersey and the
2006 away jersey vs Netherlands. That kit was super clean, I think we only wore it once though which is sad.

[CanaYouDoIt]

Off topic but what’s everyone’s favourite Albania Jersey of all time ? I found my old home Albania Jersey from 2005 and I think that’s probably the best kit we ever had. I like how simplistic it was.

My top two favourite :
2004-2006 home jersey and the
2006 away jersey vs Netherlands. That kit was super clean, I think we only wore it once though which is sad.

Euro 2016 kits for the memories

2004-06 umbro kit was very nice and there’s been a few others that I can’t remember the dates, think there was a special blue one which I loved too.

[Dallku]

I don't even think it's the FSHF doing it. Somehow these coaches just develop a fetish for shit players. If they wanted Superliga players, Muci would have started a long time ago (and deservedly so).

100%

Muci contradicts what these guys are saying. No better homegrown player and he gets 0 minutes. Where is fshf for him?

Its all coaching preferences. Reja had his own with Trashi, Manaj..... Sylvinho now with Asani, Seferi, etc..