Matar Al Dhaheri, a member of the administrative staff of the UAE national team, confirmed the readiness of “Al-Abyad” to face any competitor in the knockout rounds of the Arabian Gulf Cup tournament “Gulf 27”, indicating that the goal for which the team came to the tournament was to compete for the title.
Al Dhaheri said in a statement to the media: “For us in the Emirati team, we have no doubt about our readiness to face any team. We will face the Omani team in the semi-finals, and if we succeed in qualifying for the final, we may face the Saudi team, and we are ready for any competitor.”
Regarding the UAE’s ambition in the tournament, he said: “We certainly have our eye on the title, so why are we here? We came to compete for the championship, and we hope that we will succeed in achieving it, God willing.”
Al Dhaheri refused to describe the UAE team’s performance in the first two matches as “aggressive,” even if it meant a positive side, saying: “Stay away from the word aggressive. This is football, and football has aesthetics and fun, and we hope that we will have success and reach the final.”
Al Dhaheri spoke about the Saudi team, stressing that he places it among the candidates for the competition, and said: “The Saudi team is also a candidate for the tournament, and it should not be excluded. I watched its three matches, during which it performed at great levels.”
Regarding the levels presented by the Emirati team, he added: “It is true that we presented good levels, but when you reach the semi-finals you do not know what will happen in the match and who will reach the final, so we hope that success will be our side.”
Algerian Noureddine Ould Ali, coach of the Yemeni team, confirmed that the victory over Bahrain represents an important morale boost for the team, despite not qualifying for the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup, stressing that the victory does not hide the amount of work that awaits the team during the next stage, in light of the lack of playing minutes that a large number of its players get.
Ould Ali said in the press conference after the match: “We congratulate the Yemeni people and the Yemeni fans on this victory. We were hoping to also win against Qatar, but we lost that match in the last quarter of an hour, and God decreed what He wanted. It is true that we did not qualify for the second round, but we achieved a victory and played a great match in this edition, and we look forward to the best in the future.”
The Yemeni coach described the victory as a “moral victory,” explaining: “We will not benefit from it in the tournament calculations, but it is important for the Yemeni team.” The Bahraini national team was influenced by its previous results, and we wish it success in the future.”
Ould Ali refused to consider the victory as an indication that all the team’s problems were behind him, and said: “We cannot say that life has become beautiful just because of winning a match.” When you look at the minutes played by each player during the months of August and September, you will find that they are few, and this is the truth.
He added: “We have 26 players, and most of them have only played three or four matches, so it is not easy. We need the Yemeni League to give us three or four players, and we have two friendly matches in November, and perhaps players from the diaspora or from the Yemeni League will join us.”
Ould Ali spoke about the development of boldness in his team’s performance from one match to another, explaining that this is related to the approach of each confrontation, and he said: “We have a different strategy for each match. If we play the same way against the UAE, for example, we may face problems in defensive depth, as every confrontation has its own data and strategy.”
He continued: “The match itself may give you some solutions while playing, as happened with us today. Sometimes the strategy works, sometimes you face difficulties, and then you try to find the right way to solve it.”
The Yemeni coach pointed out the limited preparation period that preceded the tournament, saying: “We did not have time to play friendly matches before the first match, with the exception of facing Kuwait, during which we tried to gather the largest possible number of players, and about 70 percent of them were able to attend.”
Ould Ali stressed that he is not looking for experience as much as he is looking for solutions that can be built upon, and he said: “I want experienced players who can control the match.” “I am not here to experiment, but to find exceptional solutions, and we will look for defensive solutions during the preparation for the Asian Cup.”
Regarding following up on the Yemeni League and the possibility of including new names, he said: “I know the players, and I may call some of them for the upcoming friendly matches,” noting that the next stage will witness the continued search for players capable of playing at a higher level.
Ould Ali explained that preparation for the future has already begun, adding: “We must have a greater number of players capable of playing at a high level, especially since the level in the Asian Cup will be higher.” Each team has special preparations according to its level, and I have plans for the November friendlies, and from today we started trying some things.”
The Yemeni coach concluded his speech by emphasizing that building the team is an ongoing process, and said: “This is my diligence as a coach, and this is our situation as coaches. We work hard and experiment until we reach our goals.”
Croatian Dragan Talajic, coach of the Bahraini national team, took responsibility for the loss to Yemen, stressing his refusal to hold his players responsible for what happened, following the end of the Bahraini national team’s campaign in the Gulf Cup.
During the press conference after the match, Talajic said: “I am responsible for what happened, and I will not put the blame on the players. I am proud of them all and happy with them.”
The Bahrain coach congratulated the Yemeni team on its victory, and said: “I congratulate the Yemeni team. They played a wonderful match,” noting that the result surprised him as it surprised everyone. He added: “Of course I was surprised by the result, and the Yemeni team was special, but in the end what happened happened.”
When asked about the difference between the team that won the title in the last edition and what it presented in the current edition, Talajic acknowledged the extent of the decline, saying: “We were distinguished in the previous edition, while here we suffered historical losses, and we must analyze what happened and find out the reasons, and we have distinguished leaders capable of identifying the problem and working to solve it.”
Talajic described what happened in the tournament as going beyond the result of one match, and said: “What happened today is unbelievable, and it is not only related to this match, but to the bad level we showed in the tournament in general.”
He added: “We must now sit down and think about the reasons and work to address them,” stressing at the same time the importance of supporting the young elements in the team’s ranks. He said: “I would like to support the young players who will continue to represent the Bahraini national team, and we will be better in the future.”
When asked whether the Yemeni team had become a “complex” for Bahrain, Talajic summarized his answer, stressing that he took responsibility, and said: “I am the reason for the loss.”
