John van 't Schip, the new head coach of the Kazakhstan national football team, has spoken about the criteria for selecting players for the national squad and the objectives for the upcoming Nations League matches, reports infohub.kz.
According to the coach, first and foremost, a player must possess the qualities necessary to represent the national team. "There are many players who have already played a significant number of matches for the national team, and we will continue to monitor them closely. At the same time, we want to see if there are other players who can prove themselves and earn a chance to join the national team. The doors of the national team are open to everyone, and any player can get an opportunity if they deserve it through their performances," the specialist stated.
He also highlighted physical readiness as another important criterion. "We have four matches to play in a very short period, so players must be ready to play the full 90 minutes or contribute effectively for a certain part of the match. Squad balance is also crucial. We want to have two players for each position," van 't Schip noted.
The main objective for the team, he said, is a successful campaign in the Nations League. "We want to play quality football, earn points, and finish as high as possible. Of course, we should always aim for the maximum result, which is first place. That is the goal we must set for ourselves. Whether we can achieve it will be shown in the matches, but we believe in the qualities of our team and that we can compete for this goal," the coach emphasized.
Recall that on August 7, the Kazakhstan Football Federation announced the appointment of Dutch specialist John van 't Schip as the head coach of the national team. The coaching staff also includes Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev (assistant), Yeldos Akhmetov (assistant), Yuri Novikov (goalkeeping coach), Vadim Borovsky (fitness coach), and Timur Kusainov (analyst).