Arabi coach Hallgrimsson calls for better show against Gharafa

Al Arabi coach Heimir Hallgrimsson expects his team to bounce back from a disappointing start to their QNB Stars League season when they take on Al Gharafa today. Arabi have not had a good start as they suffered the heartbreak of conceding a last-minute draw against Al Khor after leading by two goals in Week 1. In their second match, Arabi lost 0-2 to Al Ahli.
With their fierce rivals Gharafa at home next, Hallgrimsson has urged his players to get their act right. “Of course, we are not satisfied with the loss (against Al Ahli) and I can say after the last match that we were not only disappointed, but ashamed of our performance. And the only thing we can say is we are sorry for that performance and hope we will not perform like it again as we did in the first half against Al Ahli, who played the match well,” Hallgrimsson said.
Arabi-Gharafa encounter features two clubs with rich history and tradition in Qatar football with a passionate fan base. And Hallgrimsson was aware of threat of his opponent.
“Al Gharafa are not easy opponents and unfortunately we have a lot of absences. Our new players did not get time to get used to our philosophy and our way of playing, and they did not play for a while, so they are not quite fit. But we still have to play almost every four days, so we cannot perform a lot of tactics, and we can only train a little to prepare for the next match. We have a very difficult match against Al Gharafa. I expect that we put up a much better performance than we did against Al Ahli,” the Icelander said.
Meanwhile, Gharafa started off on a winning note to their campaign beating Qatar SC 2-0, but they lost 1-3 to Al Rayyan in Week 2. Al Gharafa, coached by Serb Slavisa Jokanovic, had finished a creditable fourth last season.
Jokanovic too wanted his side to improve their performance. “We are also not very satisfied with our start and we want to improve the performance. We believe that this step is important for the two teams and we hope we are ready. I am not thinking about the forthcoming break in the league. Rather, I will focus on it due to its importance. During the stoppage, we will try to give opportunity to players who did not play much during the end of last season and at the beginning of this season. But now, we are all focused on the Al Arabi match,” said Jokanovic.
On facing Arabi, the Serbian added: “We know the Al Arabi team. We faced them at the end of last season and their team did not change much from what we faced. We saw them in the first two matches in this season’s league as well. I see that it is a team developing and it is certain that they will not be satisfied with the outcome of their first two league matches. Therefore, we expect that they will be motivated and ready.
In today’s other match, Al Khor host in form Al Ahli. Al Ahli, coached by Montenegrin Nebojsa Jovovic, are on a high following back-to-back victories against Al Wakrah (2-1) and Al Arabi (2-0). The Brigadiers will look to maintain their winning run in their bid to ensure a better finish than their ninth place in last season’s league.
Al Khor have had a strong start to their campaign this season, holding Al Arabi 2-2 and Umm Salal goalless.
The Knights, coached by Andre Lima, pulled off the creditable draw with Al Arabi by the skin of their teeth and that last-gasp goal speaks best for their determination not to leave it late this time around.
Al Khor, now placed eighth with two points, had to keep their place in the QNB Stars League after beating Second Division runners-up Al Markhiya in play-off.