UAE coach Zaccheroni to give youth a chance
Abdul Rahman hints at opening doors to new faces at Kings Cup after Gulf Cup debacle
UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni is expected to call-up new faces for his side’s Kings Cup run out in Thailand next month.
The Whites will take on Arsenal forward Pierre Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon and Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik’s Slovakia in Bangkok from March 23-25 along with hosts Thailand, who the UAE drew 1-1 away against last summer to derail their 2018 World Cup qualifying hopes.
It follows the UAE’s dismal 5-4 penalty shoot-out defeat to Oman in last month’s Gulf Cup final in what was Zaccheroni’s first tournament in charge since taking over from Edgardo Bauza in October, and precedes preparation for next year’s Asian Cup to be held in the UAE.
More competition
“We welcome the selection of any player that highlights the level to impose himself,” said UAE assistant coach Salem Abdul Rahman. “This will create competition between players and open the door to everyone who is diligent.
“We need players with an unlimited ambition and spirit. We also hope to avoid the injuries and lack of full readiness we suffered during the Gulf Cup.
“Criticism from fans after the Gulf Cup is legitimate and we accept that, but at the same time we did not have enough time with the team.
“All we need is a large number of friendly internationals and gatherings during the next phase and we hope the gatherings are sufficient for players to adapt to the staff and tactics.”
A technical meeting at the UAE Football Association (UAE FA) headquarters on Monday discussed expanding Zaccheroni’s talent pool from 35 to 55 players, as well as a late summer camp in Europe and the possibility of a friendly tournament with other Asian nations in November or December.
Zaccheroni will have until November to raid the local leagues for new talent before finalising his squad for the Asian Cup in January.
It’s uncertain if Al Ain midfielder Omar Abdul Rahman and Al Jazira striker Ali Mabkhout will be called up for Thailand. Both UAE players were handed four-game club bans for breaking a curfew while on national team duty the night before the Gulf Cup final defeat, and their appeal was rejected on Sunday.