Asian Cup: Will Qatar’s return to the Spanish school bear fruit?
The return to the Spanish school during the Asian Football Cup may represent a good omen and an antidote for the Qatari team to heal the pain of its disappointing exit from the World Cup, which it hosted on its soil about a year ago, looking forward, with the character of the defending champion in its possession, to reconcile its fans when it hosts the continental championship starting from Next Friday.
But this return, which was represented by the appointment of the Spanish “Tenten” Marques Lopes, did not come under ideal circumstances, as the former Al-Wakrah coach had to lead Al-Anabi to defend its title one month before the tournament, which it won in 2019 for the only time in its history, after its victory over powerful Japan. 3-1 in the final and an exceptional career under the leadership of former Spanish coach Felix Sanchez.
Lopes admits that time is very short, but he hopes that the players will trust his method and style: “If we join hands, we will help.”
He added to Agence France-Presse: “This is the situation now. Of course time is short, and in football, pressure is always there, but it depends on the pressure you put on the players.” “The most important thing, in my opinion, for the players is to enjoy the matches.”
He continues: “In Qatar, we do not have many players, and now there are 80 percent of the national team’s players who played in the World Cup. “I trust everyone, and we will give our best.”
Spaniard Lopes was appointed to coach Al-Annabi a month before the Asian Cup (the Qatari team)
Lopes was appointed to replace Portuguese Carlos Queiroz, who was suddenly relieved of his duties after he was brought in with the aim of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, following a disappointing participation in the 2022 World Cup with Sanchez, when he suffered three defeats in the group stage.
Former Al-Annabi star Raed Yaqoub confirms that “the Qatari street is still sad to this day, as a result of the early exit from the World Cup,” but he stops at Queiroz’s dismissal, describing the decision as a “shock.”
Yacoub (50 years old) says that Queiroz’s dismissal is a repetition of the mistake committed in the preparations for the World Cup, “when the players were put under pressure after being completely discharged and away from official matches, as if the league championship was a place for injuries, and they appeared at that time at a not good level.”
While Yacoub praised coach Lopes, “beloved in Qatar and accepted by the fans due to what he provided with Al Wakrah,” he saw that holding him responsible only a month before the tournament was a mistake.
In the same context, former Qatari Federation member Mohammed Mubarak Al-Muhannadi said: “Changing the coach in such a short period of time is undoubtedly a double-edged sword, as the ball is now in the players’ goal. “Their reaction affects a lot.”
The former Al-Anabi player pointed out that Tenten (61 years old) is a temporary coach, and will then return to lead Al-Wakrah again, adding that “the time available to him before the start of the tournament is very short.”
On the other hand, Lopes points out that he knows all the players: “I have been a coach in the Qatari League for 6 years. I trust my ideas and know my mentality.”
But Lopes acknowledges the difficulty of the task: “We are the champions. It is a great responsibility. The tournament is difficult and the teams are strong.”
Qatar is armed with its most prominent stars, Almoez Ali (Qatari national team)
Lopes began his career with Annabi with a friendly victory over Cambodia in Doha by 3-0, before losing on Friday to Jordan 1-2 in Doha.
While defender Tariq Salman refuses to talk about expectations, saying: “The tournament is difficult, and for us as the title holders we must provide the best,” he believes that “the presence of a new coach pushes us to do something with him to achieve our goals, and we hope to adapt to Lopes, especially since he previously We have training under the leadership of the Spanish School.”
Striker Ahmed Alaa El-Din agrees with his colleague: “Lopes is a new coach for the national team, but he has been in the league for a long time, and he knows the strengths and weaknesses of the players.”
Annabi will cut the championship ribbon against Lebanon on Friday, at Lusail Stadium, host of the opening and final, as part of a first group that also includes China and Tajikistan.
The Qatar national team is counting on stars, led by Akram Afif, the best player in Asia 2019, defender Khoukhi Bou Allam, and Al-Moez Ali, the best player and top scorer in the previous edition of the Asian Cup with 9 goals. The latter aspires to break the record of Iranian Ali Daei, the all-time top scorer in the finals with 14 goals.
While Yaqoub confirms that the road is not easy in general, he stresses that “it is not permissible for the team to occupy a position lower than the lead, and after that the pace may increase, and we may qualify for the quarter-finals and then the four-round.”
He concludes: “Frankly, the Qatari team is not the first candidate.”
In two previous hosts, Al-Anabi was eliminated from the 1988 edition in the first round, while it was eliminated against the Japanese team in the 2011 quarter-finals. It also suffered the harshest loss “historically” in its first participation in the continental battle, against the Kuwaiti team with a clean score in the 1980 edition, in which “Blue” won the title. .
2024-01-09 19:09:26
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