Jaber al Ajmi -
MUSCAT, June 17 -
Almost all football aficionados were upset at the 1-2 defeat Oman suffered against Palestine in the second round of the 2019 Asian Cup qualifying last Wednesday in Al Ram, Palestine. Many questions were raised after the defeat, especially for the overall performance of the Red Warriors in the 90 minutes.
Perhaps, most of the fans know that Oman can still secure AFC Asian Cup finals as two teams from each group will qualify directly. However, some of them may ask, do we want to qualify for the finals for competition or only participation!
The question might be very reasonable for Pim Verbeek who failed in his official debut as he was absent in the first round against Bhutan due to family circumstances.
Oman Daily Observer asked the football coach and analyst Ali al Khanbashi about the main five reasons behind the loss, which were as following.
1. Overall Structure
Oman football manager Ali al Khanbashi opined that the starting line-up did not match with Verbeek’s tactical strategy.
“The concentration of securing the defence line and playback with a large number of players did not match with the tactical formation,” Ali said.
“Verbeek started with a 4-4-2 system which included two strikers having same specifications and style of play. The left and right centre backs and wingers also had an offensive tendency; although, we needed to intensify and strengthen the midfield.”
“Also, we were not able to dominate possession and this was another important thing that we need to consider in the future.”
2. More respect
Ali saw that the players were too much wary of Palestine and this resulted in Oman players failing to put out their best.
“From the first minute, all the players were in defence, which forced them to make some mistakes that helped Palestine to score two goals within 25 minutes,” Ali said.
“The players missed a lot of their well-known technical level because of the defensive approach we started with.’’
“It was good to show respect for
any competitor but we must also believe in ourselves that we have all the abilities to win.”
3. Psychological preparation
“Although it is not a critical reason to be considered but the psychological preparation was a reason behind the loss, according to manager Verbeek,” the Suwaiq ex-manager said.
In the post-match press conference, Pim Verbeek said that good crowd support for Palestine was one of the reasons Oman lost. “Our players did not get used to play in a crowded atmosphere because the Omani football fans did not come to support us in the stadium when they played in the Sultanate,” he said.
“Did Verbeek think the game would take place in Palestine or any other country without crowds,’’ Ali al Khanbashi said.
4. Artificial playground
Ali considered the artificial playground on which the match was played as one of the main reasons behind Oman’s poor performance.
“Despite a 12-day external camp in Jordan before the Palestine encounter so that we got used to play in the artificial playground, our players faced difficulties to play on it. We saw many mistakes in passing and the crossing from both right and left sides.’’
5. Ambition
“The ambition of the players is a significant factor for them to give more and more. The more you dream, the more desire and spirit you will have to play and win.’’
“All players, technical and administrative staff and clubs, all are responsible for enhancing it so that we develop the Omani football and bring our golden days where more than 20 Omani players played outside Oman and our national team was in the top form,’’ Al Khanbashi concluded.
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