Qatar- Al Arabi have prepared well says coach Zola

Date

9/11/2015 4:14:54 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)2014-15 champions - Lekhwiya

DOHA: Al Arabi’s new coach Gianfranco Zola says his side has prepared well for the new Qatar Stars League (QSL) season that kicks off today.

Al Arabi take on Al Wakrah tomorrow.

“We prepared for this game well. We have been preparing for a long time” Zola said yesterday.

“Step by step we have tried to build the team to be ready for this game. I am very satisfied with the players and with what they have done so far” Zola added.

“The team is not fully ready. When you play the first game of the season very few teams are ready. We are looking to be competitive and aim to win” he added.

“We saw Al Wakrah playing against Qatar SC. They are a difficult team to play against” Zola said of his opponents tomorrow.

“They play physical and have good players. It will be tough especially at the start of the game. They will make it tough for us. Their coach is a young coach.

“It will be a game where we will have to be careful. We will have to be wary about their striker Sacha Saez. We will be looking to play forward but they close down well and we will have to be prepared for the counter attack” he warned.

Al Wakrah coach Jose Mauricio said: “Our preparation was good. It was a long period. During Ramadan it was difficult but we then went to Rome for the camp.”

He added: “In Rome we had good conditions to train. It was a good atmosphere for the team. It was a bonding time for everybody. There was a big respect among all those present - players and coaches. It was a family atmosphere during the camp.”

Mauricio said his players did not shirk from hard work.

“The players have put in a good amount of work during the camps. They have done well in trying to adopt the philosophy that the coaching staff has been trying to implement. The players have made the mission easier for us” Mauricio said.

“We are playing our first game against a big team with a big coach and this will also be my first game in Qatar” Mauricio said of Al Arabi.

“We want to show what we can do on their field and we have the ambition to do well. And that’s most important. It’s important for us to take three points and get a good start to the season.

“Our first target is to stay away from the relegation zone. We have to build a competitive team. Game by game we will be looking to improve. By taking lot of points and getting more wins at the start which will help us move out of the relegation zone and move towards the top” Mauricio said.

“It’s important for me as a coach to keep winning games. But we are trying to build a team that doesn’t win only by luck but also by strategy.

“When we win we have to deserve to win. That’s what we are trying to do with this team” Mauricio said.

Last season Al Arabi finished in eight spot whereas Al Wakrah was placed 12th out of 14 sides. The new season kicks off today.

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