Mancini: We are ready for the beginning of the qualifiers.. and we thank the people of Al-Ahsa

2023-11-15
20:00:49

The coach of the national team, Roberto Mancini, spoke at the press conference held this evening to talk about preparations to face Pakistan national team in the first round of the second phase of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027.

He said: “I would like to thank the people of Al-Ahsa for the beautiful welcome we had over the past few days".

Regarding the national team's readiness, he said: “Tomorrow’s match represents our first official match, and of course the beginnings will be difficult as we seek to perform well to secure points of the match”.

Regarding calling up players for the first time, he responded: “I think the time is right to call up new players, after we have seen many players in the past three months, and I believe that we have talented and promising players who deserve the opportunity”.

Regarding the strength of the competing teams in the Group, he said: “Our goal is to give our 100% effort in all matches, but now we must put all our focus on facing the Pakistani team, with which we seek to perform well and earn full points”.

The player Faisal Al-Ghamdi thanked Al-Ahsa fans for their warm reception throughout the past period, and about the match he said: “It will not be an easy match, especially since it comes at the beginning of the qualifiers, during which we strive to appear in the best way”.

Regarding his benefit from the presence of assistant coach Yaya Toure in the technical staff, he said: “Yaya Toure is one of the best midfielders in football, and I will certainly benefit a lot from him”.