By Rizwan Rehmat
DOHA: Points leaders Qatar have been urged to employ ‘clever’ tactics in their 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup joint qualifying match against Maldives today.
Qatar were stretched to the limit in their opening match of this qualifying campaign against Maldives where the visitors scored the only goal of the match in injury time.
Coach Daniel Carreno doesn’t want a repeat of that June 11 performance at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium today.
“We must play the match in a clever way. Surely we will be focused on good defence and look for ball possession,” Carreno said yesterday.
“We will look for three points. We have done that (bagged maximum points) in all the matches so far,” the Uruguayan explained.
Last week, Qatar edged past a resolute China 1-0 to retain their top spot in Group C shared by Hong Kong and Bhutan.
Carreno, who took over as coach last May, said his team lacked time to prepare for today’s clash.
“For the game against Maldives, (we did) not (have) enough time to prepare. But we have focused well during these days,” Carreno said.
Carreno said a high intensity game - similar to the one against China on October 8 - is usually followed by a dip in performance.
“Yes, after each important win against a big side, the level of performance comes down but when we train, we prepare separately for each side,” Carreno said.
Carreno added: “We have focused on two aspects for this game: psychological and technique. I trust the players are ready for this match.”
He said: “They will take this match seriously and with discipline. We are sure that this is a very important match for us.”
When asked about U23 captain Akram Afif, Carreno said: “Afif is there on the list of Qatar’ Olympic squad. We called him to the first team but he did not play very well. The present 23 players are well qualified for this clash.”
Carreno said Qatar, who have 12 points from four games, are taking one game at a time. “Maldives game is important because we want points. The three points here will be important for the side,” Carreno said.
“After the China game, I said this so that we focus on the Maldives match only. Definitely winning against Maldives will be good but not the end of our campaign,” he added.
Ricki Herbert, the new coach for Maldives, is a man looking for positives from his batch of 19 players available for the Qatar clash.
Herbert was unveiled as the new head coach of the Maldives on September 8 and in his first game, his side beat Bhutan 4-3 last week.
“Last few days have been good. Game is very exciting. As you may know I had just one game with the team,” Herbert, who is from New Zealand, said yesterday.
“It has been a short preparation but we can have a better team in the future. I have brought 19 players. We are looking forward to the game.
“Qatar is a very exciting challenge for us. It is a big team,” the former All Whites coach said.
“I wasn’t in the Maldives for the home game. Qatar were unlucky. They could have scored more,” Herbert said when asked about the first leg between the two sides in June.
“I don’t want to be trying to limit the damage. We want to do well. We want to express ourselves. I am looking towards the future. It’s important to do that.
“There are changes that I want to make. Acclimatisation-wise, we need to be better in countries we travel to. (I) hope the players can relish and play to a good level,” he added.
“Football is a fascinating game. You are seeing interesting results. Qatar is strong in Asian football. It is something we have to face,” Herbert said.
“Players need to be tested. It’s a big hurdle. We don’t want to defend 90 minutes. We want to be challenging, moving forward. Football provides with surprises and hopefully we can provide one tomorrow,” he said.
THE PENINSULA
