Sabah FC don qualify for Champions League first time on Aug. 25, and di club never even reach nine years old. Two weeks later, di Azerbaijani champions waka out at Old Trafford to face Manchester United. Now dem dey prepare to host Slavia Prague on Oct. 13, with Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Arsenal still to come inside dia debut league-phase campaign. Di campaign go see dem travel around 34,000 km.
Na remarkable new reality for club wey dem found only in 2017. Sabah win dia first Azerbaijani league title last season, finish nine points clear of Qarabag, and retain di Azerbaijani Cup to complete domestic double. After that, dem pass through four rounds of Champions League qualifying to reach di league phase for di first time.
For Valdas Dambrauskas, getting there don already make di season success. He talk say Sabah never experience participation in Conference League or Europa League, never pass more than two rounds before in European competition, and now dem pass all four and qualify for Champions League. He add say of course dem want grow di club brand, dem want make people know dem, dem want improve, dem want play good football, dem want get some results, but everything from here na bonus.
Qualification no bring much rest. Sabah open away to Manchester United, with Slavia Prague, Borussia Dortmund, Viking, Barcelona, Villarreal, Napoli and Arsenal completing a demanding league-phase schedule. Dambrauskas talk say di draw no too favour dem and dem get di strongest teams in di world to play against. But he believe dis fit be very good and provide valuable lessons for di club, not only in terms of result on di pitch, but in terms of organization and participation and communication about di club, about di country, about Azerbaijan. He talk say dem need take those positives in di best possible way.
Dia first lesson come at Old Trafford, where Manchester United give Sabah 4-0 defeat. Dambrauskas talk say di result no be wetin dem expect, of course, but you can understand where dem come from and who dem be. He talk say dem go play now against di best teams in di world and dem no fit think only about result because e really fit be negative sometimes. Even in local leagues, clubs like Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli or Barcelona fit score four, five, six goals. He talk say dem know say sometimes dem fit be exposed and sometimes brutally exposed, like e happen against Man United.
But Dambrauskas no believe say him players bin dey intimidated by di occasion. Him frustration na say Sabah make mistakes wey opponents at dis level go punish. He talk say dem know say dem fit do better because dem concede goals from mistakes wey even when you play team at much higher level, you no fit make because dem go punish you for di smallest mistakes. He talk say he no fit say dem dey scared or shaky or overwhelmed by di atmosphere. He think dem just get small doubt, especially if you analyze those mistakes from tactical point of view.
Adapting to unfamiliar environments no be new thing for Dambrauskas. He talk say he don dey very lucky. At di moment, Azerbaijan na him 10th country and Sabah na him 10th football club. So imagine, in around 15 years, he don live in 10 different countries and meet so many people, learn from so many different environments. He talk say he really believe na him strength because he fit speak with and understand people from very different environments.
Him route into coaching also get unusual footnote. Years before reaching Champions League, Dambrauskas use winnings from Lithuania version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? to help pursue him coaching education for England. E don become popular part of him story, although Dambrauskas believe too much dey made of am. He talk say people give too much significance to am. He talk say na game show, small money, but nothing more. He talk say na many years, plenty hard work, plenty people, different situations, different factors and different circumstances wey happen for him life and bring am to Champions League.
Now wey he don reach there, motivating him players for matches against some of Europe biggest clubs na di easy part. He talk say he think na di easiest part of preparation because every player and every coach and every member of technical staff dream of playing in those types of games. Everybody want play for biggest stadiums and against biggest teams. So in terms of mental preparation or professionalism, e no get any problem at all. He talk say he think na about finding di balance between competing on di pitch, showing say dem fit play and getting result.
Sabah go look to respond when dem host Slavia Prague in dia second Champions League match. Dambrauskas talk say dem no too successful for first game, but dem know exactly di mistakes wey dem make and dem go try improve before di next game. Di challenge no be only wetin happen on di pitch. Sabah must balance Champions League football with dia domestic commitments, while dia location for Azerbaijan mean say dem dey cover vast distances during di league phase. According to Dambrauskas, Sabah go cover around 34,000 km travelling to and from dia four European away games.
He talk say as far as he know, dem get di longest travelling dis season for Europe. Somebody calculate say dem need go 17,000 km for di away games. So e be 17,000 one way and 17,000 to come back. If you think say around di world na 40,000 km, in four away games dem go travel almost around di world. Di demanding schedule go also change how Dambrauskas and him staff prepare di team, with less time available on di training pitch. He talk say for him as coach and him technical staff, na about how to prepare di team, how to recover, how to maybe put more emphasis on video analysis and individual talks rather than training on di pitch, because di training sessions on di pitch go very few in di next couple of months.
Dambrauskas believe those experiences go ultimately make Sabah stronger. He talk say dem go get lessons wey you no fit buy in theory, but now dem go get dem in practical sense. He talk say dem really dey look forward to dis and he think di players and coaches go try get di most out of those situations. Di speed of Sabah rise fit best show by di club age. Dem celebrate dia ninth anniversary on Sept. 8, di same day Dambrauskas and him players board plane for Manchester ahead of dia opening league-phase match.
He talk say he think e don already be historical success for Azerbaijan football because Sabah na only di second club for Azerbaijan history to qualify for Champions League main stage, after Qarabag. He talk say dem get so much attention at di moment from Azerbaijan football fans and media and all around di world. He talk say dat go put di club small bit on stage where dem fit see am, hear am, understand wetin di club be about, wetin kind values e get. He talk say dis really positive and dem need use am in di best possible way to attract even more support, even more fans from all around di world.
For Dambrauskas, di timing of dia qualification add to di significance of di achievement. He talk say when dem qualify on 25th August, di club only 8 years old. He talk say di story really amazing. He talk say di people wey create dis club and wetin dem do in such short time really deserve di biggest applause and di biggest respect. Dambrauskas hope say Sabah Champions League campaign go ultimately resonate beyond di club itself. He talk say now na time to promote Sabah FC and promote Azerbaijan football, for people around di world to understand say football in dis country dey exist and na quite good football. He talk say two teams qualifying for Champions League main stage two years in a row show how much quality and potential dey inside dis country.
