Qatar’s interim coach Marquez Lopez says he is ‘happy’ with his team’s preparations ahead of the AFC Asian Cup, which Qatar will host from January 12. The Al Annabi will defend their title continental title, having won it the last time it was held in UAE in 2019.
But the build up for the tournament has been far from ideal after their celebrated Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz was sacked earlier this month after just a few months in charge. Lopez, who is the manager of the Qatar Stars League side Al Wakrah, has been given the responsibility to lead the team as Qatar faces a huge task to repeat their 2019’s historic feat.
Lopez has picked a 27-member squad for the two friendly matches against Cambodia and Jordan, which he is a tune up for Al Annabi’s Asian Cup title defence next month. The players have been training under the Spaniard at the Aspire Academy with Lopez impressed from what he has seen so far. “I am happy with the determination players are showing during the training sessions. I am very happy with the way the preparations are going at this moment,” Lopez said on the sidelines of the camp.
“I have great confidence in everyone, and although time is limited before the tournament, we will work with all our strength and try to have the best preparation,” he added.
Qatar will take on Cambodia on December 31 in the first friendly, before facing Jordan on January 5 and Lopez felt both matches are important “The friendlies are important as these games will give us a good opportunity to attain readiness,” he said.
At the Asia Cup, Qatar are grouped with Lebanon, China and Tajikistan. Qatar will kick off their campaign against Lebanon at the iconic Lusail Stadium in front of 80,000 spectators on January 12. Lopez said Qatar will have to handle the pressure of expectations of playing at home if they are to be successful at the Asian Cup.
“Pressure is there in football and it is important for the players to enjoy the moments. If there is no enjoyment in the game, then why do we play in the first place? We are the title holders and certainly this is a great responsibility for the team and all the players. We will go step by step as this is a big challenge. We will first think about winning the first match. Our first goal is to make the Qatar fans happy, and without a doubt their support for the team will give us great motivation and additional strength,” he added.
Lopez also backed himself to produce positive results despite having a short turnaround for the big tournament. “This is a good opportunity for me after a long career with Al Wakrah. I believe in my mentality and style. I am not new to the national team and I know all the players well,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wakrah goalkeeper Saud al-Khater said Qatar are hoping to go all the way at the Asian Cup. Al-Khater said: “Our preparations are in full swing for the Asian Cup, in which we are looking forward to going as far as possible. We have two friendly matches coming up against Cambodia and Jordan, which are important. We will be fully prepared for these two matches as the Asian Cup is not far away.”
He added: “We will deal with the tournament step by step, and we hope to appear at the level that meets the ambitions and aspirations of the Qatari fans as it being held on our soil, especially since our team is the defending champion.”