Hussein Al-Darazi
Bahrain’s toughest group in World Cup qualifiers
Five points out of 12 is good, based on the group’s strength and difficulty
We wanted 6 points in October… and we have the toughest group in the qualifiers
There is no pressure on our team at home… and results depend on other considerations
Not taking advantage of Saudi Arabia‘s position and defensive retreat…technical issues related to the coach
Our role is limited to preparation, and the ground and the audience are the ones that motivate the players
Hahumi’s injury affected us all … and these are sensitive issues for the players
The director of the national football team, Mahmoud Riyad, confirmed that there are opportunities for the team to get more points during the rest of their journey in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
He said in an interview with Al-Watan that the team did not achieve what they wanted in the third and fourth rounds of the World Cup qualifiers, as the goal was to achieve 6 points by winning the two games, as the game took Indonesia. place on our soil, and because the Saudi team is in an unstable position during this period, but the achievement of two points is considered somewhat appropriate due to the results of the other games and the failure of Australia and To win Indonesia, the results of the group, the closeness of points between the teams, and the level of the teams are the biggest evidence of how difficult the group is.
Regarding the team’s initial preparation plan for the November games with China and Australia, he said that the plan was to hold the gathering before FIFA days, and this was done after coordination with the clubs, which showed great cooperation in terms of allowing the players. to be with the team before the official and approved FIFA days.
Our national football team has played two very important matches in the last few days in the third and fourth round of Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, as it was tied at home with Indonesia improved with two goals each, and also tied in Jeddah with the Saudi Team without goals, reaching the fifth point in the third difficult and strong group Equal to Australia and Saudi Arabia, each of them has five points also, behind Japan, the leader, with ten points, and in front of China and Indonesia, which are equal with three points each, noting that the first and second from each group of the three groups qualify directly for the World Cup, and the third and fourth qualify for the playoff, from which two teams will also advance, and they will qualify. One team selected to the world playoffs. We also have two games coming up in Bahrain on November 14th and 19th against China and Australia in the fifth and sixth rounds. Below is the text of the conversation:
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Do you think the team achieved their goals in October’s two rounds of World Cup qualifiers? And why?– No, we did not achieve what we wanted from those two rounds. an unusual and unstable situation during this period, and the minimum goal was to get 4 points, but what was achieved was only two points, and it is considered rather satisfactory because the results in the other games were good for us not winning Australia and Indonesia not winning, almost everyone agrees that it is in our interest.
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So you agree with everyone that achieving two points out of a possible six does not represent our desire for two rounds in October?– Yes, as I said, this does not even represent our lowest desire, but we came out with something satisfactory, that is the two points, because the other results were good, if we are still at the heart of the competition.
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Does our team really suffer from pressure when they play in their home stadium, and we have seen this again more than once, recently the Indonesia match?– There is no pressure on the team and the players have experience, and they have played in many important levels before, and on the other hand, the public presence is an inspiration and motivation for them, and as for the results, these are subject to other factors such as diligence, sometimes focus, and success.
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What is your role as an administrative body in preparing the players psychologically when the national team plays on their home ground, so that the ground staff and the public can benefit from it?– The motivational element of the ground and the crowd is automatic and personal, and the player does not need to prepare which helps the player enter the field while he is at the highest level of preparation and focus on the coach’s plan and its implementation In terms of motivation, the presence of a large audience helps us a lot in facilitating this process.
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In the Saudi Arabia game, why was the current position of the Saudi team not taken advantage of, and do you think that our team was only playing for the point? And how long will the national team continue to play as a defender when they face teams that are better than that in terms of experience and reputation, even if we see our national team keep up with it their players when they take the attacking initiative?– Of course, this is a technical question, and the coach has the answer.
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How did you administratively deal with Hashoumi’s injury situation in the Saudi game, and how did the player overcome the problems quickly?– The player Hashoumi is very important, like the rest of the players The injury had a big impact on the technical and administrative staff and the players, and in such cases the situation is very sensitive with the player, and to be near him permanently and continuously. very important, and the players must be called again and gathered around him to psychologically support and comfort him, and directly start his treatment, operative and post-operative procedures, communicating to directly and continuously with his relatives, consulting with them all the details of the injury, operation and treatment, and communicating with his club as well, and all these matters were made and taken directly to psychological support to him and his relatives and to ensure that he quickly returns to the stadiums.
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Do you think five points out of a possible 12 points is a good score after 4 rounds?
– When you look at achieving five points out of a possible 12, you think it’s not a good result, but when you compare that result with the difficulty of the group, the strength of the teams, the other results, and the ranking as second place on difference of destination, is considered very good, and the path ahead of us is to collect more points, God willing.
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What is your general opinion of what the team has done so far in the final qualifications, and could it have been better than it was?
What was presented was satisfactory, but it could have been better than it was.
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Do you think our group is the most difficult among the three groups?– The results and the closeness of points between the teams and the level of the teams are the biggest evidence of the difficulty and strength of the group, as well as the very long distances of four out of five teams, which are a huge burden on the Bahrain Football Association, the technical and administrative staff, and the players, which increases the problem of the organization, compared to the other organizations.
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What is the team’s initial preparation plan for November’s games with China and Australia, both in Bahrain?The plan is to hold the gathering earlier than the FIFA days, and this was done after coordination with the clubs, who showed great cooperation in allowing the players to be with the national team before the official days and approved by FIFA.
2024-10-18 22:08:00
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