The experienced coach believes that they key to success is to ensure that youth teams are given more game-time…
Qatar have started the FIFA 2022 World Cup and AFC 2023 Asian Cup preliminary qualification in style as they breezed past Afghanistan 6-0 on Thursday at the Al Sadd Stadium.
This was the first home game for the West Asian nation since they won the Asian Cup in UAE back in January.
When Japan and South Korea hosted the 2022 World Cup, those two nations were amongst the best in Asia. With Qatar being crowned as the Asian champions, it wouldn’t be unfair to state that they would enter the next edition of the World Cup on merit as opposed to merely making the cut as hosts.
Bora Milutinovic, the experienced coach who has managed five different national teams in as many World Cups consecutively, explains the reason behind Qatar’s rise in the footballing hemisphere.
“The Qatari people have a good vision and you can see the progress they have made with young players. They won the Under-19 Championship in Asia a few years back,” told Goal.
“The progress also depends on how you work. They have a development programme, they have the Aspire academy. It is not possible to have the success they had in one year or two. You need to be patient and need more time. The young players in Qatar participate in a lot of competitions, tournaments. They also play in the Al-Kass tournament where teams from all over the world come and participate. As a young player, you need more competition, more games for you to learn.”
Milutinovic also stated that it is vital for young players to get a lot more playing time and exposure to a variety of playing styles.
“Also you need to play and be exposed to some of the best in order for you to know where you stand and what you need to achieve. This is the key to Qatar’s success. They play so many friendly games, competition which gives a lot of experience to young players,” said the experienced Serbian who is fondly called as the ‘Miracle Worker’.
Be the first to comment