The interim coach of the Bulgarian national team Atanas Ribarski did not hide his disappointment after the heavy 0:3 loss in the away game against Iceland in the Nations League tournament. The specialist sincerely admitted that the "tricolors" were completely outplayed, but at the same time emphasized the desire and ambition of the boys. He was categorical that the problems in the team cannot be ignored and the staff must very carefully identify the accents before the visit to Luxembourg.
The coach acknowledged Bulgaria's good start, but pointed out that the first goal by the hosts introduced haste and uncertainty into the actions of the national team:
„A tough loss, 0:3... I think I saw the manner, the desire, the ambition in the players. Everything was working out until the first situation. A really well-crafted goal from Iceland made us haste. We were uncertain in the duels, they easily overcame us on both flanks, we emphasized it. They used the half-spaces well. We corrected this, but in the second half there was minimal change, unfortunately.“
Ribarski was extremely critical of the defensive actions, stating that the goals conceded were unacceptable for this competitive level:
“We started very childishly. I can't say that the loss in our field was childish. I think the second and third goals don't match the level of our players. I continue to say that we have good players. The two situations were childish in the end, we could have played them completely differently. We prefer to shoot from distance instead of playing one-on-one – in my opinion, it will not bring any success.“
The coach assured that despite the deepening crisis, the staff will seek urgent solutions even before the next match, because if they bury their heads in the sand in the hope that the problems will be solved by themselves, this will not lead to any result.
Ribarski also revealed part of his tactical plan for the match, explaining the idea behind the inclusion of Zhoro Rusev and Lukas Petkov, who were supposed to look for space behind the Icelandic defenders. In addition, he praised the behavior of Iliya, who, despite the lack of playing rhythm, expressed a desire to go out on the field and help the team.
In conclusion, he pointed out that the biggest deficit in the national team is time. The constant turnover and rotation of players hinders the building of strong relationships and a sense of stability, and the weak ball play today was a surprising setback that must be corrected in the two days remaining until the next match.