FELIX TOP QATS READY TO PURR
QATAR have produced off the pitch – and head coach Felix Sanchez is backing them to deliver on it.
A 12-year wait to host the World Cup ends tomorrow after a £220bn spending splurge during which the entire fabric of the Middle East state has been upgraded.
The cash has been lavished upon a new road network, transport infrastructure, hotels and stadia and now all the ingredients are in place for a successful tournament.
But can Qatar realise their ambitions on the pitch?
A training camp in Marbella has been conducted amid the utmost secrecy as Sanchez’s men attempt to find solutions to their inexperience on a global stage.
Spanish newspaper Diario commented that the security was so tight that the squad never left the complex.
So pressure is building ahead of the big kick-off in Al Khor City and Sanchez is predicting that an upset might be on the cards.
He said: “Tough matches await us in the tournament. We are facing very strong teams – teams that are used to being in the World Cup – but if we display our best, we will be able to compete.”
Friendly results have been tight. While a draw against Chile was commendable, less praiseworthy was a 2-0 defeat to Canada.
However, they do have experience of an Asia Cup win from three years ago when Qatar defeated Saudi Arabia, South Korea, the UAE and Japan.
And much will depend on strikers Arkam Afif and Almoez Ali, a duo who can find the net.
It doesn’t bode well for the hosts that their squad is drawn entirely from players who appear in the Qatari Stars League.
There is, then, little international experience and one look at their rivals in Group A does not inspire confidence.
Louis van Gaal manages a resurgent Holland, while Senegal present another tricky hurdle.
Tomorrow’s opponents Ecuador – who qualified from the South American competition with time to spare – make the chances of a surprise appear slim.
But there is confidence, at least on home soil, that they can pull off an upset.
Broadcaster Ahmed Al Jaber, from BeIn Sports, said: “I think the Qatari people are expecting something, definitely.
“In 2019, we won the Asian Cup in the UAE. That helped build confidence in the team.
“They have been together since they’ve been young. They’ve grown together with the same coach. They know each other.
“We are expecting to reach the last 16 – and maybe we can go further.”