Jafal: Al Ain match felt like an official match; tough friendlies benefit the team
Jafal: Al Ain match felt like an official match; tough friendlies benefit the team
06 Aug 2015
Deputy head of football at Al Sadd Jafal Rashed al Kuwari has expressed his delight with they way the team is benefitting from the friendly matches being played as part of the preseason training camp in Austria.
He said that “the Al Ain friendly felt more like an official game and the coaching staff managed to make use of it in a great manner, especially with the good level of the players during the first half and their control of play. In the second half, performance declined a bit as the team has yet to reach full physical readiness.”
The Deputy Head also added that Al Sadd is a mine of young talent, after the emergence of a number of young players during the camp. Jafal confirmed that he does not fear for his team during the next phase.
And as for the preparation for the new season, Jafal said: “The preparation period is going on well, since starting on the twelfth of July in Doha. The coaching staff divided practice into two sessions helping the players to arrive at a better physical and technical condition.”
With regards to the new season, the former Al Sadd player pointed out that the new season will be very difficult, certainly stronger than last season, with all teams preparing well. He said that with all the players that Al Sadd had, the head coach had more options to use. “We must work hard to achieve the goals we aim for.
All we can hope for is to avoid injuries, especially as the team suffered last season. It deserved more than just HH the Emir Cup, which the club won for the fifteenth time in its history.”
Jafal also said: “Any absentee has an effect on the team in terms of harmony of the system and the composition of the starting lineup. Injury is the first enemy of Al Sadd, especially as it deprived us of the most important players.” Jafal stressed that he hoped that midfielder Khalfan Ibrahim and defender Ibrahim Majid would make a quick return to the team and stay away from from injuries to complete the team strength before the start of the new season.
The Deputy Head concluded by saying that the foreign preseason camp for the team was considered short as it did not exceed two weeks. “I was hoping that the players would continue within the team for a longer period with each other until full harmony is achieved, but the international players leave for the first and Olympic Qatari national teams on the ninth of August, forcing us to end our camp early,” he said, adding that preparations of the Annabi in the next stage certainly is the most important and everyone is always behind the national team. “Al Sadd is always the primary source of players for national teams.”