Prepare well and be ready, Queiroz tells Qatar players

Qatar’s new coach Carlos Queiroz said the Asian Cup draw was an ‘excellent’ one for his team as the hosts are in Group A with two-time runners-up China, tournament debutants Tajikistan and Lebanon.After the draw ceremony at the Katara Opera House yesterday, the Portuguese veteran coach said Qatar has to be well prepared to defend their title they won for the first time in 2019 in the UAE.The enlarged 24-team Asian Cup kicks off on January 12 next year with Qatar, who staged the World Cup last winter, facing Lebanon in the opening match at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. The World Cup was a disappointment for Qatar, as they crashed out of the football showpiece after losing all three of their group matches.Queiroz, who replaced Felix Sanchez post the World Cup, said his players must be ready to play against the best in the continent."We know exactly what is in front of us and what is next, but the next step is to think about ourselves, it doesn’t matter which teams we are going to play. What is important is to be ready,” the former Real Madrid and Iran coach said. "We want to compete against the best and try to beat the best. Now it is time to deliver, work and be well prepared. The most important thing is to play good football, to have fun and bring as much pride and honour for the country.”"Football is always about the next step, the next game. The next game is Qatar against Lebanon in this competition and that’s what counts. When the games start it will be about one team, one family, one mission and one goal,” the 70-year-old addedBefore the Asian Cup, Qatar will take part in the Gold Cup, which will be held in the United States of America and Canada from June 24 to July 16. Queiroz has already announced a 41-member list which includes many new players as he look towards the future.Meanwhile, South Korea’s new head coach Jurgen Klinsmann said his team ended up in "a doable group” at the Asian Cup. South Korea will be looking to claim the title for the first time since 1960 and face Malaysia, Jordan and Bahrain in Group E."I think we have a good group. They’re all very, very good teams,” Klinsmann said. "I think it’s a doable group. We expect ourselves to go through to the knockout stage and go all the way to the end of the tournament. It’s a good draw for us.”The former German forward believes the continental tournament will be one of the strongest after the Asian teams’ strong performances at last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Saudi Arabia upset the eventual champions Argentina in the group stage, and Japan stunned two European giants, Germany and Spain, en route to reaching the last 16. Australia also notched two wins in the group phase to make it to the knockout stage."It will not be easy, but we have a very strong team,” Klinsmann said of South Korea, who beat Portugal in their final group match at the World Cup to grab a knockout ticket under Klinsmann’s predecessor, Paulo Bento. "Our goal is to win this Asian Cup,” he added. "I am sure it will be a fantastic tournament as the World Cup was an outstanding and beautiful tournament. I spoke to a lot of my players, they are all over Europe, they play in the K-League, they play in China, they play in Japan and they’re all very excited. We have a strong team. We look at ourselves in the mirror and say we’re going to go to Qatar to win the tournament.”Group B will feature 2015 champions Australia alongside Uzbekistan, Syria and India with the Socceroos coach Graham Arnold "Very happy with that draw.”"Qualifying for a World Cup is important, but this is just as important to me and for the nation. You always have to go into these tournaments with expectations to win it. We’ll give it a great shot,” he said."I am very happy with the draw. Obviously, having the familiarity with playing here in Qatar will help us as well. It’s been a home away from home for the Socceroos over the last couple of years, due to Covid, but also with the World Cup qualifiers and the World Cup. Last time it was with an older group of players and I had to find some youngsters, but this time we’re more settled as a group,” Arnold added.