Following the announcement of Albania’s squad for the upcoming World Cup 2026 qualifiers against England and Andorra, head coach Sylvinho held an official press conference today.
The red and black technician discussed the selected players, new additions to the squad, important absences due to injuries, and the first two matches against England and Andorra.
He began by addressing the media regarding four players who are unavailable due to injuries: Mario Mitaj, Elseid Hysaj, Mirlind Daku, and Keidi Bare.
“I’ll try to speak briefly and let you talk more. I’ll start with the four players missing on the list due to injuries. Mario Mitaj has a pubalgia issue and will undergo surgery. Keidi Bare has a calf injury and is currently unavailable, there has been communication between our doctor and his club, Zaragoza. I personally spoke with Elseid Hysaj, and he could be ready to return to training with his club after the international break. Daku has the same pubalgia issue and will undergo treatment to recover quickly and rejoin both us and his club,”- said Sylvinho.
Below is the full press conference of coach Sylvinho:
Objective for the two March matches? – Injuries affect us and them, everyone, unfortunately, they happen. The national team is always open, different players come in, that’s part of the job. We have two tough matches, very different from each other, and we need to work hard for both. As for England, I agree, they are among the strongest in the world, with very strong players. Now, they have a great coach, just as Gareth Southgate was, having reached two European finals. Now, another important coach has arrived, and we face a team of the highest level. We have to work hard. Both matches concern me. We need to work and prepare them very well because they are different.
Seferi’s absence? – From a strategic standpoint in preparing for the next two matches, I believe we have more players on the left side: Seferi, Hoxha, Muçi, Bajrami, Mehmeti, we have many options. Seferi has had a good journey with the National Team, he has performed well, and he has helped. He is a player who gives everything on the field. We are starting a very important year with a dream of reaching the World Cup. This is a message for all players, not just for him. There might be a question about Mehmeti, who is not here today, but he could be tomorrow. The National Team needs everyone. The National Team is open, and we must think strategically regarding the matches. On the left, we have Hoxha, Muçi, Bajrami, Mehmeti, and Seferi, all prefer to play on the left side, but I can only take two or three of them.
Do you have a different approach to qualifying for the World Cup? – I agree that after two years, you get to know the players and their mentality. We work hard to help them improve and focus on their approach. We have lost some matches due to concentration, and we gained experience in EURO 2024. Facing Italy, Spain, and Croatia taught us a lot, and we will work hard to succeed. We are a small national team, but we are constantly growing. Of course, we will make important changes, introduce new stimuli, and focus more on concentration, as well as the technical and tactical aspects. However, we must always maintain the balance of the team because that is crucial.
Adrian Ismajli and Armando Broja? – We have been working for more than 10 days with the players, and these are two different situations. Both have been out for some time. Ismajli has had a recurrence of his issue, while Broja is returning after a long-term injury. Both are included in their club squads this weekend, which means they are healthy and fit to join us. Once they arrive, we will assess their condition. I want to emphasize again that these are two very different matches, and we will have different training sessions. We haven’t seen the players for over three months. I heard another coach mention in an interview that in these cases, what you miss the most is the field and training. Even though we are always working and visiting the players, the field is what you truly miss. We will make the necessary assessments in the coming days.
Etnik Brruti? – I should explain a bit about our work as a technical staff. We are a group that handles the technical evaluation of the players. I am the one responsible, then we have Doriva, Zabaleta, and Bulku. We also have the technical side with Bushi and the director Pea. We are all responsible for the technical evaluation of the players. We follow them closely. As for Brruti, he is a player that we have been following and who has good characteristics. He is left-footed, and he is a player that we miss. I’ve explained before that Muçolli was a player with these characteristics, but unfortunately, he has been injured for some time and missed the European Championship. He is a very good player that we like, and I hope he returns soon. I’ve also said before, we have an overload on the left, but on the right, we have fewer options, even in midfield. Pajaziti is returning as well, and I’m very happy. He’s a versatile player who can play multiple roles. Brruti is a left-footed player that we have valued, and he deserves to join us. I am confident he can do important things. Polemics? – In this case, it’s always up to the player if he wants to represent the National Team. The profession we have always comes with pressure. We have to live with pressure. Pressure is present because we will play at “Wembley.” I see interviews from coaches talking about important players, and they say they need to grow, play at “Camp Nou,” “Santiago Bernabeu,” or “Wembley.” We need to live with this situation. In the National Team, he has our support. We will talk to him, and we will all support him to move forward.
Do we play like in the Nations League qualifiers or like in the Euro 2024 qualifiers? – These are different competitions, and we shouldn’t forget that there are opponents to face. I want to attack Spain, but they won’t allow me. Another team might allow more. This competition we’re starting is very difficult, but it’s a beautiful dream. We are here to work for enough time to earn the points. We need to win, to have perfect matches. Perfect matches are required because the rule is different, only one goes directly. It’s a tough group, but not impossible since everyone starts from zero. From day one, I say that what we should never lack is spirit, sweat, and heart. That hasn’t been missing, and sometimes we win, draw, or lose, but we work to win more. But what we should never negotiate with anyone is that we go onto the field with heart, sweat, because we represent a nation, and that should never be missing.
Scheme against England and Juljan Shehu? – Yes, it’s true that Juljan is doing well, I was expecting a question about him. He’s a player who adds centimeters, plays well, has grit, and is an experienced player. I want to give some insight into what we’ve gotten from the U21 team, he’s had a certain journey. As a player, he’s technically good. Regarding the tactics, you can do anything, but you must not lose the balance of the team. The downside is that we don’t have much time to work, but we definitely have a plan B and C, but we need to see plan A first since we have options. We have the return of Djimsiti, but everything will be assessed in the coming days when all the players arrive.
Albion Marku? – We need to respect the players’ transition. After Hysaj and Balliu, we have Hadroj. Hadroj made a transfer to Ukraine, and we trust him. At the moment, we are missing a player on the other side, but Aliji is coming, a player we trust. He has played two European Championships, he’s left-footed and used to playing. But Mario’s absence puts us in a difficult position because on the left we don’t have another player who plays with the left foot. Considering the work we’ve done, the player who comes after Hysaj and Balliu is Hadroj.
Ramadani or Berisha? – Berisha is another young player coming from U21, he played the European Championship with us, and has technical and physical qualities. I’m pleased that he returned with Lecce, as he was coming back from months of injury. After that, it’s the same for us. The player comes, and we need to see who is in form and who isn’t. Ramadani is a player who has always performed well for us, we trust him, and we’ll evaluate him. We need to wait for the player to arrive. The job with the national team is difficult because you watch a player on video, follow matches, but the best is when they arrive, to see if they’re in good condition or in form. For me, whenever they play with the club, it’s good, and I’m happy for Berisha.
