AFC: Sydney (January 18, 2015) Coach Djamel Belmadi will be looking to the future when already-eliminated Qatar take on fellow Group C casualties Bahrain at Stadium Australia on Monday in a match where pride will be the main motivator.
The young squad arrived in Australia on a high after winning the Gulf Cup last November but a confidence-sapping 4-1 loss to a rampant United Arab Emirates side followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat to Iran brought them back down to ground with a thud.
Belmadi has refused to dwell on the negatives and said that the team had learned a lot from the AFC Asian Cup and the experience would stand them in good stead for future tournaments.
The competition looks different for us. We cannot qualify for the quarter-finals. Bahrain are in the same position as us. They have also lost both games. Like us they will like to leave the competition with a win, said Belmadi.
This is good preparation for the future. We have a young team and this is a game against an opponent who we may face at in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers. It is motivation for us to give a good performance.
The coach said that Qatar did not have a first eleven and there would be new faces in the team to meet Bahrain, who they drew 0-0 with in group action at the Gulf Cup.
We will make a few changes to the team which played in the first two games. We will see some new players tomorrow (Monday), he said.
We are not like UAE, a team which has played together for five years. With a team like that, you know their starting eleven. We do not have a starting eleven. We might see two or three new faces tomorrow. Changes will be based on our tactics for the match.
With Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, there is a lot to look forward to and Belmadi said that victory over Bahrain would put the team back on the right path.
I do not know who will be in the squad in 2022. We have young players now, who might be available for the 2022 World Cup, he said. (Also) there are some promising young players in the U-18 squad.
It is important to be competitive because we are the host nation. I will do my best to prepare the players for the 2022 World Cup.
Photo: WSG