Abdulla Al-Breik: The preparations are going well

*The conditions in Kaprun are ideal

*The preparations are going well; we seek to be fully ready

*Last season was one to forget; there are no excuses

*Happy with the presence of all the players; we aim to benefit completely

*Sticking with Ferreira will help us overcome our errors

*Our strategy is to always support youth; we expect a lot from them

*Departure of Nadir is normal in life; we are looking for the best in the fourth foreigner

*We thank our loyal fans for standing with us; we are capable of making them happy

Al-Sadd team manager Abdulla Al-Breik spoke to the club website, giving his thoughts about the preseason camp and the preparation for the new 2016/17 season.

Al-Breik expressed his satisfaction with the progress of the camp, saying: “The camp has all the sporting facilities which helps the coaching staff to hold an ideal training programme. All the players are feeling great with the atmosphere here.”

He also added: “We have to prepare well for the new season and the players have to benefit completely from the camp in order to reach full readiness ahead of the start of the season. Ending last season without a title will push us to give our best in the coming season. Our start will be good; having all our players with us will give us an opportunity to be more in sync with each other. The coach will also have more options to choose from. We now need to work hard to achieve the goals we have set.”

The manager also went on to say: “Last season and not winning any trophy is something to forget. There is no excuse this coming season. All we hope for is to avoid injuries so that the team is full-strength in most matches.”

As for the departure of Algerian star Nadir Belhadj, Al-Breik stated that Belhadj was one of the best players he had worked with and that his professionalism and sincerity made him the best role model for any young player aiming to be like him and reach the top in football. “Nadir spent 6 great years with us and during those years we won a number of trophies. But this is how football is; change happens in life. We are now trying to find the best possible replacement to help the team.”

The head coach Jesualdo Ferreira will continue at the helm of the team and Al-Breik spoke of the positives of this development. “Ferreira staying on with the team will be in our best interests, especially with the improvement we saw in the performance in the second phase of last season, despite not winning a title. The great harmony between him and the players will also push us on in the new season and will help us overcome many errors which had happened before.”

Al-Breik also spoke about the continued desire of the club to depend on youth talent. He said that the club has always had a strategy to support the youth so that they become a crucial element of the future of the team. “The current camp is a good opportunity for a number of them to prove themselves in front of the staff and gain lots of experience before the start of the season.”

He also added: “I hope the players benefit hugely from the camp which we see as a real test of performance before the season, which is going to see a lot of tough challenges. Al-Sadd always aims to compete for all tournaments and this is what we seek in the new season as well.”

The manager concluded by saying: “We thank the loyal Al-Sadd fans for always standing with us during last season despite not winning any title. Al-Sadd fans are always present during all the tough moments. I hope we can bring back the happiness for them; it will come easily but rather through hard work and support from everyone.”