The head coach of the national team of Turkmenistan Mergen Orazov completed a four-day internship at the Spanish Villarreal. In Spain, the mentor of the Turkmen team adopted best practices in organizing the training process.

Upon returning home, Mergen Orazov shared his impressions of the trip with an Orient correspondent.

According to Orazov, the current internship has opened up an opportunity for acquiring additional knowledge and has become an important step towards conquering new frontiers.

“The visit, organized by the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, included an internship with the academy and backup team of the Spanish Villarreal, watching training and games of the club's main team. I also held meetings with a sports psychologist, fitness trainer, analyst and a specialist in introducing new technologies to the club. In a conversation with each of them, I managed to learn important elements for myself - those that I and the coaching staff will use in working with the national team”, said Orazov.

We remind that, 35-year-old Mergen Orazov will train the national football team of Turkmenistan for the qualifying matches of the 2026 World Cup as the head coach. The rivals of the Turkmenistan national team in the qualifying tournament of the 2026 World Cup will become known following the results of the draw, which will be held this spring. And the matches of the first stage of qualification will be held in the autumn of 2023.

In June 2023, the national team of Turkmenistan will play in the tournament of the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). The tournament will be held from 9 to 21 June in Bishkek and Tashkent. Teams from Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Oman will take part in it. The national football team of Turkmenistan will play with the teams of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Oman in group "A".

“The Championship is a good opportunity to prepare for the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. All rivals are higher than us in the FIFA rankings. This will allow us to establish a game with strong teams, which is very important for a successful performance in the selection. We will monitor and analyze the state of candidates for the national team in the current championship of Turkmenistan. In early June, we plan to hold training camps,” said the head coach of the national team of Turkmenistan.

Last year, under the leadership of Mergen Orazov, Ahal won three national trophies - for the first time became the champion of Turkmenistan, for the fourth time won the Cup of the country and for the second time - the Cup of the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, and the mentor of the champions himself was recognized as the best coach of Turkmenistan in 2022. In parallel with this, Mergen improved his football education. In one year, he successfully completed courses for coaching licenses "B" and "A", which give the right to work with professional clubs in Turkmenistan. In the near future, he plans to get the Pro category and apply the acquired knowledge in working with the national team of Turkmenistan.