Tabriz: No other head coach showed more determination than Iraq’s Ali Talib Muhammed, who was oozing with confidence during the AFC U-20 Futsal Championship IR Iran 2019 Pre-Match Press Conference on Thursday.
Talib Muhammad was noticeably upset two years ago after their 2-0 loss to Islamic Republic of Iran in the final, but that bitter memory has only galvanised him and his squad to return to the tournament with their eyes on the prize.
“We are not under any pressure,” Talib Muhammad proclaimed. “My players are experienced in the Iraq Futsal League, which is of a high level.
“We are here to be the champions this time, and I don’t think we will have any problems in reaching it.”
The West Asians are going up against Indonesia and Chinese Taipei, two teams also eyeing a slot in the knockout stage, and Talib Muhammad pledged to play every game as if it’s the final.
“Every game for us in this competition is important, every game is like a final. We will try our best to be one of the best teams in this competition.”
Iraq will play their opening match against Chinese Taipei, who underwent serious preparation heading into the tournament, with training camps at home, in Japan and Portugal, after their perfect record in the East Zone Qualifiers.
“We are a very young team, so we are looking to give our players experience,” said head coach Chan Chien-Ying.
“We are in a tough group with really strong opponents, so we want our players to give their 100 percent.”
An opening day win would place any team in a comfortable position to progress to the knockout rounds, and the Chinese Taipei side has been reviewing videos of Iraq’s previous games, but Chan believes joy should be at the centre of his players resolve.
“We reviewed their matches from the last tournament. For us, after a bit of studying and our own preparation, I emphasised to the players that they should enjoy the games, and try their best with no regrets.”
Indonesia will take to the stage on Saturday against Chinese Taipei, but despite having played several friendlies the past week, head coach Sayan Karmadi is hoping to iron out their remaining issues on the pitch.
“Of course there is pressure on this young players. We’ve had a couple of friendlies but the only issue we have at the moment is stability. I hope that the players will achieve that stability during the tournament.
“However, there is also no doubt that we will do our best, and that our players will enjoy this competition.”
Source: the-afc.com