Cannavaro on his tenure: "I am experiencing one of the most beautiful periods of my life"

Uzbekistan national football team head coach Fabio Cannavaro did not hide that he is thoroughly enjoying his work with the team. The Italian specialist spoke about the rejuvenation of the squad, the achieved results, and his satisfaction with the players' performance even after defeats. He noted that the World Cup has become a great school of experience for the national team, and the focus is now on the Asian Cup.

In an interview with Italy's prestigious La Gazzetta dello Sport, Cannavaro, who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006, expressed his satisfaction with the process underway in Uzbekistan. For the coach, the most important aspect is not just victories, but the team's development and the creation of a foundation for the future.

"I am greatly enjoying my work"

Cannavaro assessed his time with the Uzbekistan national team as one of the most pleasant periods of his life. According to him, signs indicating that the chosen path with the team is the right one are already becoming apparent.

"Right now, I am experiencing one of the wonderful periods of my life. I am greatly enjoying my work. We are happy with the path we have chosen in Uzbekistan. We have started a specific process, significantly rejuvenated the squad, and are already achieving good results," the specialist said.

These thoughts imply that Cannavaro is not evaluating the national team solely based on immediate match results. He also considers players' growth, generational transition within the squad, and long-term development to be important.

Pleased with the team's performance even after defeat

In football, the result often becomes the main criterion. However, for Cannavaro, apart from the scoreboard, how the team acts on the pitch is also of great importance.

While noting that confident victories were achieved in a number of matches, the coach also specifically recalled the match against South Korea. In his opinion, despite the defeat, the performance shown by the team left a positive impression.

"We achieved confident victories in a series of matches. But even when we suffered defeats, particularly after the match against South Korea, we left the pitch with satisfaction because we were pleased with our team's performance," Cannavaro said.

This approach shows that attention is paid not only to the result reflected on the scoreboard, but also to playing discipline, teamwork, and the execution of tactical tasks by the players.

World Cup — "like lectures at a university"

During the conversation, Cannavaro also touched upon how important participating in the World Cup was for the national team. He evaluated this tournament as a huge source of experience for the players.

"We participated in the World Cup with great enthusiasm. For us, this tournament was like lectures at a university — we learned a lot. Regardless of what the results were, we returned from the tournament much stronger. As for me personally, it was an unforgettable month that will remain in my memory as one of the most beautiful periods of my life," the Italian specialist said.

Participating in a high-level competition like the World Cup allows players to play against strong opponents, feel international pressure, and assess their potential. According to Cannavaro, this experience will serve the team well in future tournaments.

The debut of a player under 17 delighted Cannavaro

One of the aspects the coach paid special attention to is giving opportunities to young players. Under Cannavaro, Mukhammad Khakimov made his debut for the Uzbekistan national team. He turned 17 three days after his debut.

Cannavaro mentioned this situation as an important example of trust being placed in youth within the team.

"We gave a player who was not yet of legal age the opportunity to debut in the national team. He turned 17 three days after the match. How can one not be happy with such a situation?" the coach said.

Getting an opportunity in the senior national team is both a great responsibility for young players and an important milestone on the path of their growth. However, the subsequent development of such players also depends on regular match practice, proper preparation, and the coaches' trust.

Now the main focus is on the Asian Cup

Cannavaro emphasized that another serious test awaits Uzbekistan ahead. We are talking about the 2027 Asian Cup. The coach does not consider the group opponents easy, but he believes that the experience accumulated recently will help the team.

"The Asian Cup awaits us. Our group is not easy, but we are preparing for the tournament taking into account all the experience we have gathered recently. The Football Association is also happy with the work we are doing together," he added.

The 2027 Asian Cup is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5. In Group B, the Uzbekistan national team will compete against Bahrain, North Korea, and Jordan.

Will the path chosen by Cannavaro bear fruit?

The main idea in Cannavaro's interview is that work is being done in the Uzbekistan national team not only for today's results, but also for tomorrow. Rejuvenating the squad, giving opportunities to new players, and utilizing the experience gained in international tournaments are important parts of this process.

Of course, the coach's satisfaction does not mean that all future tasks have already been accomplished. The team's true potential will be tested once again in important competitions such as the Asian Cup.

For Uzbekistan fans, the most hopeful aspect of Cannavaro's words is this: the coach is satisfied with the team's current state and enjoys working for its future. Now it is up to the players to reinforce this confidence with stable performances on the pitch and important results.