Mohammed Ghanem Al-Ali: Al-Sadd want to win the title; we were the best in the league

Al-Sadd head of football Mohammed Ghanem Al-Ali has stated that the Wolves are all set for the Qatar Cup final clash against El-Jaish, which will kick off at 7 PM on Saturday at the Jassim bin Hamad Stadium.
Al-Sadd are looking to win their first title in the competition since its rebranding and Al-Ali believes winning the title will provide “a great addition to the club’s collection of trophies.”

He added: “El-Jaish are a strong opponent and they have players of a high level. It is going to be a highly competitive match. But we are confident in our ability to win.”
Al-Ali denied that Al-Sadd are under any pressure because of losing out on the league title. “We are under no pressure; Al-Sadd are used to playing in tough competitions and big finals. Saturday’s match is a new chapter in the challenges we have faced,” said the head of football.
He went on: “We were the best team in the league and we displayed great performances, as any observer or pundit will bear witness. However, we were not lucky in some matches. This is how football is.”
“Al-Sadd are the one of the best teams in Qatar in terms of tactical and technical level; you see the players spread out and returning to cover their defensive duty before going back to create attacking chances.”

As for the role played by head coach Jesualdo Ferreira, Al-Ali said that the Portuguese had done a great job with the team since taking the reins. “Ferreira is one of the best coaches in Qatar now although he hasn’t won any titles yet. We suffered because of refereeing errors in a number of matches and this caused us to lose many points. However, the coach has succeeded in improving the performance of the players hugely, in addition to giving opportunities to a number of young players who have become influential with the team.”
Al-Ali added: “Luck went against us on a lot of occasions. Ferreira is one of the best coaches in the country and we are not a team that are impatient with coaches. The coach needs 3-4 months to know the players. How then can we sack him after a short period? The group of players we have now is gelling together well and they are playing as per the game plan set by the coach.”
He went on to conclude by saying: “The fans’ attendance will have a huge role in mentally pushing the players forward and motivating them to display their best performance in the match, leading to a title win. Al-Sadd fans will not fail in delivering their duty.”