Al-Haydos: Al-Sadd ‘must’ win the league title

Al-Haydos: Al-Sadd ‘must’ win the league title
04 Aug 2015

Hassan al-Haydos was undoubtedly the star of last season for Al-Sadd and was deservedly chosen as QFA Player of the Year. Ahead of the start of what will be an exceptional season, al-Haydos talked to al-saddclub.com on a variety of topics, including his targets for the season with club and country, his new clothing store and more.

Currently in Kaprun as part of preseason training, we asked al-Haydos about the present phase and about the progress of the team. He said that the ongoing preparatory phase was very crucial to the team and would serve as the measure of its readiness ahead of the new season. He assured us that “there was a great atmosphere in training” and that he and the rest of the team were working hard to reach their best levels before the league kicks off. “The team is in great shape and the average age of the team is 26 years. We team “must” win the league title, which has been away from our hands for two years.”

Al-Haydos was supportive of the decision to retain the coach and the three foreign players, saying that it would aid the stability in the team and make them work well together. As for the latest addition to the team, Xavi Hernandez, al-Haydos said that “Xavi treats everyone with great respect and exemplary professionalism. He also has his own footballing philosophy.”

When asked about Khalfan Ibrahim, al-Haydos first stated that Khalfan was his “brother, friend and teammate. He is a role model on and off the pitch. His absence due to injury affected us last season. I hope he returns to the form that we expect of him and gives us an extra incentive to perform well.”

The Al-Sadd and Qatar attacker also talked of the past season which was one of delight and disappointment for him. Although he won the QFA Player of the Year accolade, he was saddened by Al-Sadd losing out on the league title. He talked of the injuries that played spoilsport and expressed his hope that his season would be much better.

As for the national team, al-Haydos said that “the coach (Carreno) needs to be given more time.” “The team is going through a tough period and two difficult matches are coming up.”

Al-Haydos was in the news recently after opening a clothing store called Vegas along with a friend. We asked if it would affect his football in any way and he replied with a definite no. “My focus is on training and playing football. I always try to keep my personal life and my footballing career separate.”

Before signing off, al-Haydos had this to say to the fans: “I promise them that we will spare no effort in order to achieve the best results. I ask them to support us so that we can meet all our targets for next season.”