In a Euro 2024 qualifying match, Pijus Sirvys scored twice to defeat Gruev’s team at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Bulgaria. The team received harsh criticism from a large portion of the national press.
Bulgaria and Gruev are in danger of missing the championships in Germany in the upcoming summer with just two points left in their qualification group.
Ilia Gruev, Leeds United’s new addition, too has no explanation for the string of ludicrous losses and terrible results, according to BTA (14 October), which was harsh on the Bulgarian team and singled out Gruev for his poor performance.
According to Simeon Kichukov of the newspaper Dnevnik, Mladen Krstajic, the Bulgarian manager, “continued” to use Gruev in defense, which he referred to as a “toothless” display from the side. As Kichukov said, “Bulgaria’s defense continued to make a number of errors by the game’s conclusion.”
Even though Gruev’s “a ball kicked” by the Elland Road player resulted in a one-on-one opportunity that was afterwards lost, Trud News (14 October) said that it was a “total shame” for the national team. Gruev, however, was singled out for special attention at this crucial juncture.
Not ideal
Gruev arrived at Leeds United in the summer and has had trouble making an impact, but he is still a starter for his country and is still in the running. It was best to forget about his trip back to Bulgaria during this foreign break.
Due to their defeat to Lithuania, Bulgaria just has two points and appears to be out of the running for Euro 2024 qualification. Since the team hasn’t triumphed in a match of any significance since March, the media’s rage was understandable.
Gruev appeared to contribute positively to his team despite the bad performance of his team, but the Lithuanians’ strength proved to be too much for the Lions.
Once his international obligations are finished, Gruev will want to play more games back in Yorkshire, although he still has a friendly match against Albania to play before heading back to Elland Road. Gruev will still have something to offer Daniel Farke this season despite the fact that his performance at the international level would not have done anything to help him into the team.
