Giresse for TIME: We know what we have to do to move forward

The selector of Kosovo, Alain Giresse, has not doubted the commitment of the players to give the best for the state jersey. Giresse has shown how the representative team was left with only 17 players for the decisive match against Greece, while he said that they are clear about what they have to do to move forward.

On Sunday night in Volos, Kosovo lost 2:0 to Greece and thus remained unlikely to win the group in League C of the League of Nations. Kosovo won against Cyprus and Northern Ireland, but lost the two games against Greece. In September, they play Northern Ireland and Cyprus again, but it is unlikely that they will overtake Greece at the top of the group. Greece advances to League B of the Nations League and will potentially appear in the play-off for qualification to Euro 2024.

The experienced Frenchman, Giresse, has rated the balance of June's matches as average.

"It is an average balance, four games and two wins. It could have been a little better. Maybe we could have avoided losing to Greece in Pristina. The game in Volos was more subtle. But the circumstances were special for us and still we were fine", said Giresse on Monday for KOHEN.

Giresse took over the leadership of Kosovo in February. Led the national team in the two friendlies in March and now in the four Nations League games played this month. And now there is public dissatisfaction with his work. But Giresse says that in Kosovo they know what they have to do to advance money. He appreciates that the first place in the group was not easily accessible.

also Sports June 12, 2022 Giresse tells why Kosovo was left with few players for the match with Greece

"Actually, the calculation seems very complicated. It would take a disastrous campaign from Greece to top the group. We see that we still have work to do to ensure qualification for competitions such as the Nations League. So we know what remains to be done to move forward. To make this team progress", added the 69-year-old.

According to Giresses, Greece has shown the highest level in the group. Greece has won all four matches so far.

"Greece was a consolidated, collectively organized team. The Greeks were technically strong, so they are the first. I said that we could have avoided losing at home, if we had realized the opportunities we had at the beginning".

Against Greece in Volos, Giresse had only 17 players available. Activated 15 of them, while only the two reserve goalkeepers did not win the opportunity. Giresse has repeated that he initially invited 29 players. He admitted that the situation in Volos was rare. There was no defender or center forward on the bench in Kosovo.

"Initially we sent 29 invitations to the players. At the beginning of the group we had 23 players, while we had six on the list in case of need. The games started and with them came a pile of suspensions and injuries. Especially for the last game. After the match with Northern Ireland we came to a situation where we did not have five players available. Three were suspended and two were injured", Giresse emphasized. He says that they have not tried to invite players who are not currently with clubs, but are on vacation in who knows which country. He says that the situation was not the best and that the injuries were a heavy blow for the representative.

"I am convinced that the face of the representative team would be completely different, if in Volos we had available the players we missed due to injuries and suspension", Giresse emphasized.

also Sports June 11, 2022 Kosovo believes in victory despite the shortages

He once again mentioned the departure of Edvin Kurtulushi to Sweden, while he is satisfied with the behavior of other players.

"All the players behave well. It is not easy in this period to stay mobilized for matches, after a long and difficult edition with different situations. There were no rejections. I spoke with a player who told me that he was happy that he could come with Kosovo and at the last moment he left for Sweden. But we can't do much here but accept the situation and move on," Giresse emphasized.