Ali Asad: Preseason has been great, we aim to win titles

* We were unlucky last season

* I want to improve, I have to work harder

* Al-Sadd always aims to win titles; we are motivated to do that

* Fatigue caused the dip in form at the end of last season

* Ferreira has a different way of thinking; him staying will push us to our best

* Qatar national team is capable of realizing the World Cup dream

* We apologize to the Al-Sadd fans; we are really optimistic about the upcoming season

Al-Sadd star Ali Asad has spoken of his happiness with the progress of the preseason training camp which the team is currently holding in Kaprun, Austria. The midfielder is training hard alongside his teammates at the camp which will be a huge test for the players prior to the beginning of the new season.

Speaking to the club website, Asad said: “The presence of the international players during the training camp will help us a lot ahead of the league. With the return of Baghdad Bounedjah, who is away with the Olympics, things will get even better.”

He went on to add: “A midfielder always needs to improve and cannot stop. Football is developing faster by the day and anyone who stops at a certain point will not be able to catch up. And so we need to prepare well in all aspects – physical, technical and tactical.”

As for the performance of the team during last season, Asad said: “Of course, luck was not on our side last season and we did not win any title despite having good players. However, I am optimistic about the upcoming season. I expect news season to be more difficult considering that four teams could get relegated. The competition will be tougher.”

The Qatar star also said: “Preseason has been progressing well and firmly as planned. It has been different from the other seasons, because we have had the Qatari players and the foreign players together here. This gives the coaches the full opportunity to prepare well and get the team to the the best level ahead of the next season.”

Asad went on to stress that the players are giving it their all amidst an atmosphere of high spirits. “There is the desire from everyone to put in a strong performance in the season and to compete for all the titles – this is the desire of everyone among the Wolves,” said Asad. He also pointed out that losing the Emir Cup title last season was very difficult for the team. “Lekhwiya had very good players and although we took a two-goal lead, they equalized and won on penalties.”

The team suffered a dip in form at the end of last season and also during the Asian game against Al-Jazira. Talking about it, Asad said: “Last season was very long and we played a lot of matches with the club and country. Everyone saw our participation at Asian U23 Championship. All the matches contributed to the fatigue. I also got injured during the Al-Jazira game and after my return, my form did not improve. But the main reason was the fatigue.”

The manager Jesualdo Ferreira has continued with the team and Asad praised him as a big coach who has a lot of experience in the world of coaching. “Having him with us from the start of the preseason will help us understand each other better. He has a different way of thinking and will give a new style of play. I think he is capable of winning titles with Al-Sadd.”

As for the Qatar national team, Asad said: “We have difficult matches coming up and we need to prepare well before the match against Iran in the World Cup qualifiers. Al-Sadd has many internationals and starting the preseason early will help us in reaching the required level of readiness for the World Cup campaign. Everyone is optimistic about our chances of reaching our first World Cup.”

Asad went on to conclude the chat by saying: “We apologize to the Al-Sadd fans who stood by us during the matches of last season, especially with the Cup matches. We promise them that we will be better in the next season.”