DOHA: Defending champions Lekhwiya have set their eyes on picking up points against Umm Salal today, their coach Djamel Belmadi said yesterday.
The QSL round eight clash takes place at Al Arabi Stadium where the kick-off has been set for 6:30pm.
“Our results in the past few matches have been negative. We didn’t collect as many points as we had planned. So it’s the collective responsibility of the team to collect more points,” Belmadi said yesterday.
“Because of the points at stake, we would like to provide a good performance and get a positive result,” the Algerian added.
This season Lekhwiya have lost to Al Arabi, El Jaish and Al Rayyan in what has been a struggling start for the multiple QSL champions.
“These results are a setback for us. It’s the worst time in the history of the club as far as results are concerned,” Belmadi said.
“But I told the players that it’s an experience worth having. All of us have been working a long time and we have had lot of successes,” he explained.
Lekhwiya are placed eight on the QSL points table.
“In the last five years we won four league titles. So for us this situation is not normal,” Belmadi said.
“But it’s good in a way because in your football career you have to have this kind of an experience. You cannot be top all the time,” a philosophical-sounding Belmadi said.
“But you have to do everything to get back to the top. All my players are champions. But this is situation is good for the players and good for me too. This will help us for the future and I ensure that we will have a good reaction,” he added.
“To be honest, I am not looking at the points gap between us and (points leaders) Al Rayyan. We have to take it game by game. It’s a step by step process for us and then we will see where we are in a few months’ time.
“Yes Al Rayyan are at the top and there’s a big gap but our strategy is to take it game by game and see where we go,” Belmadi said.
When asked about Karim Boudiaf’s absence from the last match, Belmadi said: “Boudiaf is not only an important player for Lekhwiya but also for the national team. We missed him like we missed Chico Flores and Maqsood. Missing 4-5 key players will affect any team. This is one of the reasons for our erratic results.”
Belmadi said: “If you look at the clubs at the top - Al Rayyan, Al Arabi and El Jaish; Al Rayyan have just one national player. El Jaish have one and so does Al Arabi. When these players go for the national team, these coaches can work for two weeks with their full squad except for one player.”
He added: “In my case when my players go for the national team, I am left with 4-5 players. How can a coach prepare the team? And this is happening from the beginning of the season. I am not using this as an excuse. It’s the fact. The national team is important. I support them. We are proud of being a club that can support the national team.”
Umm Salal coach Bulent Uygun said his side won’t take QSL defending champions lightly.
“We had a tough game against Al Gharafa. Now we are playing against the defending champions Lekhwiya. They are a strong team with players who have a lot of quality,” Ygyun said.
“They could also be in a state of anger or frustration because of the difficult situation they are in. They are Lekhwiya; they can bounce back at any time,” Ugyun added.
“During these four days we prepared our team to give their maximum for this game. We will try to give a good performance for our supporters to enjoy this game,” the coach said.
“Our target is to get three points which will put us in the top 4. After this game we will have a break for two weeks and a win will help us go into the break with a positive frame of mind,” he added.
“There have been 10 matches between us so far. Lekhwiya has won on seven occasions and we have 3 draw with them. It is time to get our first win,” Ugyun said.
“Teams can go through rough patches but that doesn’t mean that Lekhwiya is bad overall. Even though we are in 4th or 5th in the table that doesn’t mean that really represents our level.
“All teams are close this season and with one bad result you can drop 2-3 places. We have had good and also some difficult moments so far. Last season we changed a lot of players and we need time to create cohesion between the players,” he said.
Umm Salal are fifth on the points table behind leaders Al Rayyan, El Jaish, Al Sadd and Al Arabi.
The Peninsula
