UAE coach Bert van Marwijk has said he is relying on mental strength for the must-win match against Qatar, the “best” team in the tournament, Monday.
Anything less than three points Monday against hosts Qatar in their final Group A game will end their 24th Arabian Gulf Cup campaign.
“It will be a tough game. Qatar has players who have been playing for years with each other, and this was proved in their performance against Yemen. In my opinion they are the best, but we will have our destiny in our hand as we have our chance. We have to give our best to win against them,” Van Marwijk, who guided the Netherlands to the 2010 World Cup final, said Saturday.
UAE lost to Iraq at the Khalifa International Stadium on Friday, following their opening 3-0 win over Yemen.
The Dutchman has full confidence in his side for the match. “We train every day because we want to play our own game, and through that implement our own style. It’s all about mental preparation. We all know what we have to do and now performance of players matter,” he said.
The UAE coach also feels that his side has shown improvement after each game.
“Our performance in the first half against Iraq was bad, but the performance improved in the second half, and if we can play the same pattern against Qatar we will win,” he said.
When asked about his future, he said: “I am here to talk about our game against Qatar and not to talk about my future,” he concluded.
He said his side is young but they have a very good future.
“We have a very young side. They need time to develop their game. On one side, we need time, but I realise on the other side that we don’t get time because everyone expects results. That’s always the difficult thing for the coach. But we start every game to try and win,” he said.
UAE player Mohamed al-Attas said his side will go for the win.
“The match will be difficult for both teams, Qatar may play to draw or win, but we have to win and we will give our best for that,” he said.