Ferreira: Proud to continue at Al-Sadd…preseason has been good
· Preseason has been progressing in a systematic manner
· Players are responding to the training; thank God there are no injuries
· Next season will be tough; Al-Sadd always plays to be champions
· It is a big honour to continue with Al-Sadd; we were not lucky last season
· Players joining the national team is a positive thing; we need to deal with all situations
· Al-Sadd fans are inspirational; I hope they continue to support us
· Proud of Portugal winning Euro 2016
· I coached 14 players of the winning Portuguese squad; this made me happy as a coach
Al-Sadd head coach Jesualdo Ferreira opened up to the club website in an exclusive interview, expressing his happiness with the progress of the 2016/17 preseason training camp, currently being held in the Austrian town of Kaprun.
“We are having a strong preparatory phase The hotel is more than excellent and very suitable for our camp; it is very calm here and there is time for rest alongside practice. The facilites inside and the grounds outside are all great. As of now, the work is progressing in a systematic manner,” said Ferreira.
The coach added: “Currently we are looking to come out with the players fully prepared after our intense training sessions, ahead of the start of the new season in mid-September.”
As for the response of the players to the training, Ferreira said that they are all performing excellently. “We are happy with this; it is not easy to train so hard like this every day with the same intensity.”
He added: “All the players are giving more than what they have during the sessions. Thank God, there are no injuries until now. As the coaching staff, we are working to prepare the players in a small period of time. The tactical aspects are easier for us than the physical side. The players have completely understood our tactical style, especially considering the duration we have worked with them.”
When asked about the competition from the rivals next season, Ferreira said: “For me as a coach and for us as a team, we need to win every title. Al-Sadd is a big team and has to play every match in order to win only. We need to prepare ourselves to be champions and to play for the top position. This is the motivation that the players have. But this season will be really difficult and according to what I have followed, the other teams have become stronger. And so the competition is going to be more difficult especially with the new promotion-relegation system. There will be no easy match next season.”
As for the extension of his contract with Al-Sadd, the head coach made it clear that he loves this club, this team and all the people in it. “We have a great group at work; everyone is nice in dealing with me. It is a great honour for me to extend the contract and remain at Al-Sadd. For me, last season was difficult. We had huge opportunities to win at least one title but we were not lucky. I hope that we are better this season and that we win a title. I am proud to continue with Al-Sadd and I promise everyone that I, along with the coaching staff and the players will give our best and work hard to make the Al-Sadd fans happy. I hope everything goes in our favour, as football is not just about work.”
A number of players from Al-Sadd will join up with the Qatar national team soon for a camp which will last until the start of the league in September. Ferreira had his say on this: “The manager is always happy with the players joining up with the national team. This makes me proud and this phase could be a positive as they will undergo intense training with excellent players. They will play two very difficult matches in the World Cup qualifiers. And so it will be very important for them. They will return to us more prepared and more confident. Of course, it will be difficult for us train without them; we need to work and deal with these situations before the start of the league. However, generally, I hope that their time in the national team camp will be beneficial for us and Qatar.”
The Portuguese also went on to say: “I hope the Al-Sadd fans support us with all their strength as they did in the last season, especially in the last matches of the league and the Emir Cup. Their standing with us is an inspiration; we hope they support us so that we are stronger in this new season.”
Ferreira also expressed his happiness with his country winning Euro 2016: “I am proud as a Portuguese that we have become European champions because we are a small country. We managed to win a number of titles before at club level and youth levels but we were missing a big title like this. And so the Portuguese people are very happy with this triumph.”
He also added: “We have one of the best players of the world in Cristiano Ronaldo. He always makes us proud. As for me personally, this Euro triumph has a special feeling because 14 out of the 23 players on the squad were coached by me in various clubs at various points. For example, Bruno Alves, Pepe, Carvalho, Rui Patricio and Quaresma. This makes me proud and happy to work as a coach.”