Sanchez: Qatar Seeks to Make a Great Impression on Its World Cup Debut

Qatar was drawn in Group A with the Netherlands, Senegal, and Ecuador, and coach Felix Sanchez has stated that his squad is looking to put on a great performance in their FIFA World Cup debut at home.

Sanchez told the Spanish daily Marca that the forthcoming World Cup would be a tremendous task for his squad and that he hopes they will perform in front of their home people.

“We will face teams that have reached the finals of a World Cup and are champions of Africa. Many players are the best in the world in their positions, with World Cup and Champions League experience... So we know what our role is, we know that we are not favorites but also, within our possibilities, we must set high expectations, high goals, try to compete to the maximum,” Sanchez said during the interview.”

“In 2019 it was very difficult to think that Qatar could win the Asian Cup and we won it. Obviously, I’m not talking about Qatar winning the World Cup, but competing at a good level against those three teams is our challenge. Then this is football, and you never know what can happen.”

The Spaniard said his team can be dangerous on the counterattacks. 

“We have talented players; we try to play as a unit and on the counter, we can be dangerous. When we have the ball, we try to manage, although we know that against opponents of this level it is very difficult to take the initiative and we will have to adapt because that is the reality. It would be suicide to try to take the initiative if we want to be competitive. We try to be compact defensively, allow the minimum opportunities and be strong in transitions.”

Qatar, who face Ecuador in the tournament opener on November 20, has been preparing for the World Cup at training camps in Spain and Austria since June. The team is now in Marbella, Spain, for a training camp.

“We have had a good preparation program, taking into account that we are Qatar, a small country with little experience, with players who have always played in Qatar, in a minor league. Being able to give them this international experience by playing tournaments like the Gold Cup or Copa America, as well as friendlies, has prepared us, although it will never be the same scenario or the same situation,” he said. 

“We try to maintain normality. We already know that there is that pressure, and we don’t have to add to it. We have our routine, we try to isolate ourselves from the noise around us and focus on getting our best performance. It’s difficult because then you go onto the pitch, and you see 60,000 people. It’s the first World Cup match and there’s so much expectation that it’s hard, but that experience will help them.”
Sanchez also said fans will enjoy the World Cup in Qatar.