In Europe before '2030'

As the wait to see the National Team for the second time in a European competition is coming to an end, the adrenaline and curiosity of an entire people keeps increasing. With eyes and heart that will be focused there to give our Albanians the proper support.

And while years ago these achievements seemed like a distant dream, today we can proudly say that we succeeded. For a small country like Albania, which is developing day by day, such opportunities should be used to the maximum. And not only in terms of sports, but also of a broader cultural, political performance and equally of a mindset, to show the 'Europeans' that the time has already come.

We know that in recent years, fate has smiled on us inside and outside the green field, attracting the attention of foreigners in order not to overlook an important factor in the troubled Balkan region, from which the controversies seem to have no end.

But if the general picture looks positive, the list of players invited by coach Silvinjo a week ago sparked a wide discussion among field specialists and not only. Many voices were against leaving out the two names that did not become part of the journey; Uzuni and Cikalleshi.

How did Silvinho manage to make such a decision?

It is important to understand that the management of a national team differs radically from that of clubs and it is precisely the performance of the players in the respective clubs that makes possible the invitation to the National Team.

Moreover, starting from the fact that the gatherings are not so frequent within a calendar year, the work of the national team coach is definitely greater than that of a club coach, thus creating the right affection with his players, to maintain the balance but also to observe their progress very carefully.

Football has evolved significantly in recent years, leaning more towards the tactical part than the technical part, thus giving greater importance to the statistics on paper. Ready to think that today's football is also an exact science.

Goals and minutes on the field today play an important factor, although a sharp mind that sees beyond the stage is not enough. As in every field of life, football also has its own policies and interest groups, where direct or indirect interventions occasionally create a long wave of controversy in the public.

And if for Cikallesh this chapter was already closed, for Uzun we can say that the way of a second version 'Gjimshiti' was opened, where only time will be able to determine. If a team loses, of course the responsibility goes to the coach, but if it wins, the success is dedicated to the players.

Precisely for this reason, every choice made passes through a magnifying glass of technical-tactical debates where the blue field remains the only one that will be able to clarify the created fog.

Looking at the names of the opponents in the group, the motto that participation matters would go perfectly.

That's why football is beautiful because anything can happen and our national team has nothing to lose. The players must enter the field proud and with a high awareness that they represent an entire nation with hopes.

And big dreams.

Every minute spent in that competition, every approach of every Albanian and every red and black flag that will wave on the streets of Germany, is definitely the beginning of a new journey for us.

What, in fact, this sport achieved twice within a decade, while politics seems to have had a hard time in these 30 years.