The Georgian national team head coach Vladimir Weiss held a press conference at the Hualing hotel conference room. The national side is commencing preparations for the upcoming friendly games, and Mr. Weiss responded to the questions put to him by the media.
“First of all, I would like to state that this training camp is very important for us, as it will be our last one before the World Cup qualifying campaign. We will be travelling to Austria on 24 May, where we will face the team of Slovakia. We will then play Romania on 3 June, and our last friendly game will be against one of Europe’s best sides, namely Spain.
“The squad has already been announced, and I would like to say that I tried to call up the players who I think are in the best form right now. I would certainly like there to be progress from the game against Kazakhstan, and we will aim to play a lot better, even though there were some positives that night, too. It should also be pointed out, however, that we will be facing far stronger sides on this occasion, and will have to play in a clever manner.
“Georgian football has always been characterized by technical skill and dynamism. As for the weaknesses, fitness is certainly one of them. Georgia has been conceding many goals in the closing stages of the games. Still, there has never been a shortage of talent in this country. The Georgian side has a lot of potential, but it has to be realized on the pitch. The talent is there – Okriashvili, Kazaishvili, Mchedlidze, Ananidze… however, after the Kazakhstan game, I told Kazaishvili in no uncertain terms that his undoubted talent and potential must be realized during the match.
“The footballers ought to be good players as well as good people, as these are interconnected. Personal characteristics are very important on the pitch. Success can only be achieved through hard work. In this regard, it would be a dream to have 20 players of Jaba Kankava’s and Guram Kashia’s type – fully accomplished professionals. We are ready to work hard, and we hope to be rewarded with success.
“Giorgi Loria has a light injury, and I hope that he will be back in action within the next few weeks. As for the others, I will be watching them in training, and will then decide who plays. Performances during the training sessions are important for me.
“I have high hopes for Zourab Tsiskaridze – I watched him play in the Czech league, and I think that he is a versatile footballer who can play on three different positions. We will try him, and hopefully he will be able to help the team.
“There are many other players on my expanded list, but at this stage, these are the 25 that I picked. The doors to the national side are always open, and others will get their chance, as long as they can prove that they can play at a high level.”
The Georgian national team will be flying to Austria on 24 May, and will face Slovakia on 27 May. On 3 June, the team will play Romania in Bucharest, and on 7 June, Spain will be our opponents during the final friendly in Madrid.
GFF Press Service