After publishing the list of players assembled for the two friendly matches against Slovenia U-21 and Italy U-21, the coach of the U-21 National Team, Alban Bushi, appeared at a press conference from the "House of Football".
The red and black coach commented on the list of players assembled, the state of the team, the next opponents and Albania U-21's preparations for the finals of the U-21 European Championship 2027. Coach Bushi also focused on the potential of the young players, and the team's objectives to continue the positive progress.
Below, coach Alban Bushi's full conference:
How satisfied are you with the players from the Albanian championship? – It's not that we have many players from the Albanian championship, as far as the U-21 National Team is concerned, because there are few. There are few, but the ones that are, are of quality. We have more from abroad. I would really like to have many players from the Albanian championship, because it is very important for us, we have them closer and we can follow them. But anyway, this is a generation that doesn't exist. There are very few born in 2004/2005 from the Albanian championship.
Are there any names from the list that could be ready for the National Team A? – Every player who is part of the U-21 and not only, but of all the National teams of all ages, definitely has the potential to be in the A team. We do not see the performance in the players, but we see more the potential that they have. Because with the performances, they are players who can change from match to match for many reasons. But they all have potential. Then the best is the one who is the most dedicated, the most disciplined to reach higher, as others have achieved. We have sent many players from the U-21, from the U-19, etc. There have been many players who have gone to the A team. They have been very dedicated. I do not want to mention names, but almost 80% of the National A team are players who have been part of the Albanian ages.
Brian Gruda? – As you know, we have been in contact with him for a while. The Technical Directorate has been in constant contact for 3-4 years. I have said it many times before that, if he is not part of Germany, the first option will be Albania. He is a player with a lot of potential, in terms of the qualities he has. He has qualities that not many have in our National team, especially with the scheme that Silvinjo plays, 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, he is very suitable. But with a scheme like the U-21 National Team plays, we would have a hard time knowing where he could be part of, because we play without a winger.
Is the current group the best the U-21 National Team has ever had? – I don't think it's the most qualitative, but it's the strongest group we've ever had. All the ages we've had have played with heart and soul, but these are very compact. They make you very proud with the fight they put up and with what they show on the field. They make you very proud and give you a lot of hope. Despite not having the qualities of the opponents we've played against consistently, great opponents, they've faced them very successfully. We've also faced Germany and Switzerland as equals, despite Germany making the difference in the end and beating us with a score of 2-0. It's a group that makes you proud. It's a nice thing to work with them and I have a lot of hope that it will go very well.
Has there been interest from the National Team A coach in the U-21 players? – We would like the U-21 players not to be taken from us, because we also have a very major competition. However, I have had contact with the national team coach. Yesterday he asked me about 2-3 players, because he also has some absences, but we agreed not to touch the players, because we also have difficulties in some departments, where we have very important ones. We don't have many. However, there are 2-3 players that he thinks will be part of the A national team in the future. He knew them and it surprised me a little, because these are the first days in Albania. He is a coach who has just arrived, but he has received the right information for both the A national team players and the U-21 national team players.
Slovenia and Italy, how do you see them as opponents? – Slovenia and Italy are very strong teams, they have a lot of quality. Italy is almost guaranteed to be in the European Championship, while Slovenia is in those waters. They are very good teams, with a very good physique, especially the Slovenian team. They have players who have a lot of minutes on their feet. They have an almost complete group. They come after the 2-0 victory over Norway. It is a team that plays on offense, with a lot of passes, it comes gradually, but it is a very dangerous team.
We have our own philosophy, that we defend compactly and restart from the counterattack. This will be the idea of our game regarding the entire progress until the European Championship. Despite the fact that it is the period of June, which no coach prefers to play friendly matches, since almost 60-70% of the players have finished the championship and have been doing individual training for two weeks, I think that one week will be enough for us. We will have the group to work as best as possible tactically, to cope as best as possible with these two matches that are very important for us and very strong.
We are coming off four wins in our last four games, like never before with the U-21 National Team. We will try to maintain that momentum. To fight for everything and win both games.
Are you happy with the players this season? – I am not very happy with the minutes they have had. Some are injured, some have not played much. We meet every week with the U-21 staff and we have discussed that we will use this gathering that we have not only for the two matches, but also to talk about their future because they need to find a team to play. With few minutes it is very difficult for them to face the teams in the European Championship. I think they are players with quality and potential and they will find clubs to play. Some of them, as some are in very good clubs. It is known that the matches in the European Championship are 1 time in 3 days and we need energetic players, desire, to be physically optimal to play. In these two matches we do not have Rashica, who is injured, as well as Gabriel Ramaj. I hope to have them in the next gathering in September.
How happy are you with Maksut's transfer to Russia? – The Albanian championship is a good springboard to go abroad. Many players have gone abroad at this age. Maksuti is a player with very good potential, a very good physical player, with very good aerial combat. The Russian championship gives you the opportunity to be active because he is not very preferred by the big players in Europe. I think he will do well, as I have spoken to the people who took him there. He has received guarantees that he will play there and this is a good thing for him and for the U-21 and the A team. He is a player who can play for the A team in a few years.
Have you started preparations for next year's European Championship finals? – Of course we discuss it because we have a lot of time available. We have made our preparations, where we will gather, we have closed the friendlies that await us in September-October-November. We expect to close in March as well. We will have a 2-week gathering for the European Championship.
How important is the 2027 U-21 European Championship for Albania's image? – It's something very beautiful, I've said it before. Not only U-21, but Albania has done very big things in football in recent years. Starting from the Conference League final in 2022, many tournaments are held in Albania, U-17 and U-19. Perfect organization on our part. If it weren't for good organization, UEFA wouldn't trust us with such an event. The U-17 European Championship and now the U-21 European Championship don't come easily if you don't organize well or don't give it the right trust. The U-21 European Championship is something very big, Albania is promoted in all aspects. There may also be financial benefits, Tirana but also the other cities where the matches will be organized. It's a motivation for the young players, who will see very big players. Germany, France, Spain will come with players aged 23-24. It will be a pleasure to see them up close as well. A pleasure for us who will participate as well.
