Al Sadd’s Nam Tae-Hee excited to play former team in Qatar Cup final
AL Sadd midfielder Nam TaeHee is one of few players to have played for Al Sadd and Al Duhail. The South Korean who joined The Wolves last summer enjoyed a trophyladen stay with Al Duhail, winning the Qatar league title five times. Noted for his composure on the ball, nibble feet and vision, the 28-yearold has been an integral part of Xavi Hernandez’s reign at the club. Nam, in an exclusive interview with qsl.qa ahead of their Qatar Cup final against Al Duhail at the Al Sadd Stadium on Friday, 17th January, spoke about a wide range of topics. Excerpts:
What’s so special about the Qatar Cup?
I’ve played in the Qatar Cup many times and won the trophy twice. It’s a very special feeling. No doubt, it’s a prestigious tournament and, naturally, the players are excited, especially when it comes to playing in the final.
How do you look forward to your Qatar Cup final against your former team?
It’s a strange feeling but playing against my former team in the final makes me overly excited. I’m comfortable playing against Al Duhail and I want to win this match.
What’re Al Sadd’s chances against Al Duhail?
In all aspects, both teams are strong and it’s going to be a tough game, for sure. We’ll give off our best. It’s anybody’s game.
How do you analyse the matches between Al Sadd and Al Duhail?
Al Duhail are strong. We’re strong too. We’ve already faced off four times since the start of this season. We drew our first match in the double-leg AFC
Champions League Round of 16 stage and beat them in the second to progress to the quarterfinals. Then, we beat them in the season-opening Sheikh Jassim Cup, but lost to them in QNB Stars League’s first leg. I wish we win this time around as well.
How’re the preparations going on for the final?
Preparations have been normal even though it’s a special match. We got adequate rest after our semifinal against Al Rayyan on Saturday and resumed training on Tuesday evening under the astute eyes of coach Xavi (Hernandez). We’ll be ready in time for the final.
How do you rate Al Sadd’s performance this season?
We’ve had ups and downs, but we fared pretty well in the last few matches, like the one against Al Arabi in the Qatar Derby of QNB Stars League and semifinal of the Qatar Cup. The team is well set now.
What’ll be the strategy against such an aggressive side as Al Duhail?
We must be wary of Al Duhail’s attack, so we’ll focus more on tightening up our defence. Overall, we must be at our very best whenever we play Al Duhail. Small details will make big difference.
What’re your targets for this season?
We want to win the league championship and the remaining cup competitions. We’re also keen to make it to the final of AFC Champions League.
What role will fans play in the final match?
We need their support more in the final. Fan factor counts a lot especially in cup competitions. We’ve always enjoyed their backing and expect the same this time as well.