Spaniard Julian Lopetegui, coach of the Qatari national team, confirmed that his team's focus is on competing for the Arabian Gulf Cup title (Gulf 27), stressing that the tournament represents a goal in itself, and not just a preparatory station for the next Asian Cup.
Lopetegui said, during the press conference preceding the confrontation with Bahrain: “I congratulate the Saudis on the occasion of National Day, as this is an exceptional day. We have prepared well for the tournament, and tomorrow we will face the defending champion Bahraini team. We are happy and feel energy and enthusiasm for the confrontation, and we look forward to giving our best.”
Regarding the Bahraini team’s superiority in the recent confrontations between the two teams, he said: “Qatar won only once over Bahrain in the last confrontations, but history remains in the past, and we live in the present and we want to change these numbers. They have a coach who does a good job, Dragan, and they have quality and strength, and we realize that, so we will do our best.”
He added: “The World Cup is a thing of the past, and we are starting a new story. We have not been able to win the Gulf Cup for 12 years, and the first step will be tomorrow against Bahrain.”
Regarding the teams nominated to win the title, he explained: “I have a feeling that all the teams have very good levels, and they are all candidates to compete, and I cannot specify specific names. “I think any team can win this cup.”
He continued: “There is a special energy that we see in the Gulf Cup, but we cannot rely on the psychological aspect alone. We are working on developing plans that will help us provide better offensive and defensive performance, and we cannot close our eyes to these aspects.”
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the importance of the tournament in preparing for the Asian Cup, which will be held in Saudi Arabia in about three months, Lopetegui said: “We are not here to prepare for the Asian Cup. Our focus and goal is the Gulf Cup, as it is an important tournament for us, and we cannot think of another tournament. Our thoughts are focused only on the Gulf Cup.”
For his part, Mahmoud Abu Nada, the Qatari national team player, confirmed that his team is entering the “Gulf 27” competitions with great enthusiasm, after completing its preparations to participate in the tournament. Pointing out that the competition will be strong in light of the aspirations of all teams to achieve the title.
Abu Nada said, during the press conference: “I congratulate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of National Day, and may God grant it security and safety.”
He added: “We arrived to participate with great energy, and the Gulf Cup is always an exceptional tournament, and we have made all the preparations with the coach in order to compete.”
He concluded his speech by saying: “The players love participating in the Gulf Cup, and we will deal with the tournament step by step. All teams are candidates, the competition is strong, and our focus is on ourselves.”
Croatian Zlatko Dalic, coach of the UAE national team, confirmed that his team is looking forward to providing the best possible performance in the Arabian Gulf Cup tournament (Gulf 27), stressing the importance of focusing on facing Yemen, and working in the spirit of one team in order to achieve victory and qualify for the next round.
Dalic said, during the press conference preceding the confrontation with Yemen: “I congratulate the Saudi people on the occasion of National Day, as this is a special day for them. On the technical side, I have a philosophy in this type of tournament, and we want to provide the best performance and reach the next round. This is my first tournament of this kind and with the UAE national team, and we look forward to giving our best.”
Regarding facing the Yemeni team, he said: “The Yemeni team has a lot of skills and speed in transitions, and we are focusing on ourselves, and my main goal is to provide the best performance so that we can win.”
He added: "We have a number of naturalized players, yes, but this is normal. We have a player from Brazil, and I do not care about this matter. I am focusing on the players available to me."
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the Gulf player’s physical development, after his return to the region where he previously worked years ago, he said: “It is not easy for the Gulf player to compete in such tournaments, given the short period of time between matches, and I do not have the necessary experience to talk about this matter.”
He continued: “I have 23 players who have to give their best, and I know that it is not easy. We are ready for this tournament, and we must only think about playing and facing challenges. We are physically prepared, and we must definitely improve, and the most important thing is to play football.”
Regarding the pressures surrounding the UAE national team, he explained: “We come here without thinking about the pressures, and we want to give our best and enjoy the tournament. We know our goals and the skills we have.”
He added: “We must support the team, and this is a message to the fans, the media and social media. I have a lot of experience, and I have played at the highest levels in the world, and I know that we must give our best and be a unified team.”
Dalic concluded his speech by saying: “Thank you for the generosity of the organization and the generosity of the Saudi people. I know that there is a lot of good in this country, and we wish success to all teams, and the best will win.”
For his part, Sultan Adel, the UAE national team player, stressed the importance of public support during the Arabian Gulf Cup competitions, “Gulf 27,” noting that the confidence of coach Zlatko Dalic gives the players an additional incentive to perform at their best.
Sultan Adel said, during the press conference: “I congratulate the Saudi people on the occasion of National Day, and we await the support of our fans, and we want to achieve what is required of us.”
He added: “The coach’s confidence gives us positive motivation, and he treats us like his children, and this means a lot to us.”
Regarding the presence of Ismail Matar within the technical staff of the UAE national team, he said: “Ismail Matar is a legend of the Emirates, and we are happy to have him with us and for him to be part of the technical staff.”
Algerian Noureddine Ould Ali, coach of the Yemeni national team, confirmed that his team is looking forward to providing better levels in the Arabian Gulf Cup tournament, “Gulf 27,” indicating that the national team is working to build a project capable of competing, despite the difficulties it faces.
Ould Ali said, during the press conference preceding the confrontation with the UAE: “We congratulate the Saudi people on National Day, and may you continue to be happy in this blessed country. The Gulf Cup is a special tournament for the people of the region, and we value the work we did in the last stage, appreciate the results we achieved, and aspire to provide the best.”
Regarding the Yemeni team’s preparations, he explained: “In the first stage, we held a camp in Aden, before we arrived in Jeddah and held a long camp to get used to the atmosphere and feel the championship early.”
He added: “We have a number of talents, whether from immigrant players or those in the local league, and we do not differentiate between them, as performance on the field is what determines. When you want to achieve something, you need a project, and the project needs factors that help it succeed. We have difficulties, but they are not an excuse, and we try hard to provide the best. Why don’t we win the Gulf Cup one day?
In response to a question about the promises he could make to the Yemeni fans, he said: “We do not want to deceive the fans with promises. We only promise them to be diligent in everything, and this is the only promise we make to the Yemeni fans who will attend en masse in the stadium.”
The Yemeni coach touched on the conditions for the team playing matches outside its homeland, saying: “We do not have a stadium in Yemen, and I dream of playing there. We play all our matches outside Yemen, but in Jeddah this time the situation will be different, as we will have the opportunity to play in front of the Yemeni fans.”
For his part, Abdul Waseed Al-Matari, the Yemeni national team player, confirmed that his country's national team's ambitions changed after achieving its first victory in the history of its participation in the Gulf Cup Championship, indicating that the players are now looking forward to competing for the title.
Al-Matari said, during the press conference: “We came out of the pressure of achieving the first victory in the tournament and we succeeded in that, and now we have the pressure of winning the tournament, and this is a right available to everyone.”
He added: “What I noticed is that the feeling is different in this tournament. In previous editions, the questions were about achieving the first victory, but today the questions are about achieving the championship.”
