Former coaches urge Oman team to focus on attacks

MUSCAT: On the eve of Oman's crucial face-off with Thailand, former football coaches urged the national team to strengthen its attacking tactics.

Abdulaziz al Riyami, the former national coach, said that the Oman team needed to boost their strikers in the forward line. “The coaching staff of the national team need to work very hard on developing the forward line of the team. Our game against Thailand is a very critical match and the Red Warriors need to snatch the first win in the group stage. Any other result other than victory may put Oman in the danger zone.”

The experienced national coach who led many teams including Bahla, Nizwa and other teams, said the focus on attacking will give better chances to score. “Oman team could not win against Saudi due to some mistakes in the substitutions. I hope head coach Branko Ivankovic will boost the forward line of the team.”

Mohammed Khamis al Oraimi

Another former coach Mohammed al Oraimi said the match against Thailand will not be easy. “Thailand managed to register a win in the previous game against Kyrgyzstan. The East Asian teams are very quick and they are developing a lot especially in recent years. Hence, it is very crucial for our coaching staff to concentrate on all three lines: defence, middle line and the attacking area. The players are required to enter the match with full focus and they should not lose any scoring attempts. Snatching a goal from any suitable chance is much required. The centre of the field led by the experienced player Harib al Saadi needs to be monitored very well and provide the required assistance to the players in the attacking side. The team must fully utilise the experience of Harib al Saadi, Salah al Yahyaei and Jameel al Yahmadi in this game. We should avoid the mistake of the previous match,” he said.

Abdulaziz al Riyami

Al Oraimi, who hails from Sur, affirmed that the team should be always looking for a goal whether they are ahead in the tally or behind. “The team should press Thais hard and the defenders should be strong enough to break all their scoring attempts. Oman players need to monitor the centre of the field,” he said.