Nepomnyashchiy: "Kapadze should have managed Uzbekistan"

The debut of the Uzbekistan national team at the World Cup ended in disappointment for the fans. The team exited the tournament early after losing to Colombia (1:3), Portugal (0:5), and DR Congo (1:3).

A well-known Russian specialist who knows Uzbek football from the inside Valeriy Nepomnyashchiy openly stated that the failure of the representatives was caused by the tactical errors of Italian head coach Fabio Cannavaro.

"Cannavaro failed to correctly assess the potential of the players"

The experienced specialist, who caused a sensation against Cameroon at the 1990 World Cup and managed the Uzbekistan national team in 2006, expressed his opinion on the choice of head coach as follows:

"Perhaps it is not entirely appropriate for me to speak about this, but I will say it anyway: I believe Timur Kapadze should have managed the team. It seems to me that Fabio Cannavaro did not correctly assess the players' potential and did not choose a suitable tactic for the matches.

Instead of trying to fit the players into his own vision, Cannavaro should have built a tactic based on their strengths. Kapadze has worked with them for a long time and knows their capabilities better".

Analysis of World Cup matches: Rigidity and adventure

According to Nepomnyashchiy, Cannavaro lost balance during the group stage by jumping from one extreme to another:

• First match against Colombia: The team was overly rigid on the pitch and acted too cautiously.

• Second match against Portugal: The coach took the opposite approach, choosing an extremely risky tactic, almost an adventure (excessive risk and dangerous playing style). As a result, a heavy defeat was suffered.

• Third match against DR Congo: The game improved slightly, but this was also due to the opponent not being as strong.

Trying to play on equal terms with Portugal and Colombia was a mistake

The Russian expert also explained how Uzbekistan should have played with such a strong squad:

"I was very disappointed because Uzbekistan should have taken third place in the group and advanced to the next stage. Players we know well showed their quality. However, with such a squad, they should have certainly played defensively and looked for opportunities on counter-attacks. There are players in the squad capable of this. Trying to play on equal terms with Portugal or Colombia was completely the wrong approach".

As a reminder, this World Cup, featuring 48 teams for the first time in history, is taking place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and will conclude on July 19.