Newly-appointed Lekhwiya coach Michael Laudrup (left) and Al Sadd coach Hussain Ammouta during the 2014 Sheikh Jassim Cup pre-match press conference at the Al Bidda Tower yesterday. PICTURE: Najeer
You can divide the Cup competitions in Qatar into two categories. The first category is the prologue which has the Sheikh Jassim Cup - a chance for the participating teams to showcase their strength and intent for the upcoming football season. The second category is the epilogue which has the Qatar Cup and the Emir Cup, held after the season is over, and is a chance for teams to win precious silverware.
Today’s Sheikh Jassim Cup, contested by the Qatar Stars League title holders and the winners of the Emir Cup, will be played between two giants of Qatar football. Lekhwiya are a relative new entry to QSL, having being formed only in 2009, but have already won three League titles including the last one. Their opponents, Al Sadd, are an old warhorse, having been in existence for the past 45 years with 64 titles in the kitty. Though they had a dip in form last season during the league, they did end their campaign on a high by winning the Emir Cup.
And now for the fine print.
This will be the first test for Lekhwiya’s newly appointed coach Michael Laudrup. The Dane came in after the previous coach Eric Gerets moved to UAE club Al Jazira. By signing a big name like Laudrup, Lekhwiya have made sure they don’t lack firepower at the top.
For Sadd though, this match is a test for a bigger challenge coming up. Five days from today, Sadd will take on Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League. But that also means that coach Hussain Ammouta will be looking to ensure his key players remain injury free for that crucial match.
Today’s match will be played at the Abdullah bin Khalifa stadium – the home of Lekhwiya which should be giving them the advantage. But injuries to key players mean a big hurdle needs to be overcome if Laudrup is to claim his first trophy with Lekhiwya. But the former Swansea coach is looking at it as an opportunity for the rest of the squad to show their worth.
‘INJURY an opportunity’
“We have five key players who will miss the game because of different injuries. But injuries are a part of this game. This is an important year for the national team of Qatar. We have seven players playing for the country and so we know that our international players can get injured. So it’s important that we have a strong group. It’s an opportunity for other players to have a chance and see how they perform. You cannot play a season with just 11 players,” said Laudrup during the pre-match press conference yesterday.
With just a few practice games under his belt, Laudrup knows that he needs time to get Lekhwiya to play his brand of football. “It’s been very good so far. It’s always important as a new coach to see how things are going. We have been training and there have been new ideas but the players know what I want,” he said.
“But you have to remember that I am the new one here. I have been observing a lot. That’s the best way to go about it when you are new. But the first 5-6 weeks have been good for everybody,” he added.
While Lekhwiya have won the League thrice in five years, the same success has eluded them in the Cup competitions. But Laudrup said his team has the drive to win more domestic titles. “If you are a top team, in any league in the world, you have to try to win every competition. You always have the ambition to win every tournament. As for the international Cups, you have to play teams from other countries who have the same ambition but as a top team you have to try and win.”
Lekhwiya have made it clear that will be going all out and start the season with a bang. But Sadd know that they will have to maintain a fine balance between going all out and preserving their players for the AFC quarter-final.
“This is the first game for us. And we need to be focused because it comes just five days before the crucial game against Al Hilal. This match will tell us how ready we are for the quarter-final,” said Ammouta yesterday.
But the flip side is of incurring an injury to a key player. “I think the Al Hilal game is more important than the Lekhwiya game. We have only a limited number of players with relevant experience and I don’t want to risk them against Lekhwiya. If you give me an option to limit our effort against Lekhwiya so that we can be ready against Hilal, then I would take that. But I don’t see that as an option. I want them to be ready for that game but still want my players to give their best against Lekhwiya,” said Ammouta explaining his team’s delicate situation.
With injuries in one team and the other looking to gingerly tread on the turf, today’s encounter should see an evenly contested battle.
And if you needed another reason to follow the match tomorrow it would be this – the football season is back in Qatar! The long, long break is over.
Time for the green grass to come alive now.
