Bahrain head coach Dragan Talajic will be giving an opportunity for the kingdom’s up-and-coming young players – including 16-year-old forward Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei – to showcase their prowess in their concluding preliminary round fixture of the 26th Gulf Cup today in Kuwait.
The Bahrainis take on Yemen this evening in their last Group B game in the prestigious regional competition, which is scheduled for a 5.30pm kick-off at Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Stadium, formerly known as Sulaibikhat Stadium.
Speaking in his pre-game Press conference yesterday, Talajic revealed that Alwadaei will be in his starting 11 for today’s clash. And with Bahrain already having secured their place in the semi-finals, the Croatian tactician highlighted that it is a chance for the national team’s other players to get onto the pitch.
“Tomorrow, you will see some new faces on the team, but they are not really new faces as these are my boys who are all the time with me,” Talajic said.
“All of our players deserve to be in the first 11, but we don’t have space in one game for everybody. Everyone is working excellent, they are a part of our family. We cannot make any result if we don’t have the people on the bench who support their teammates that are on the field.
“My boys really show this family atmosphere, and tomorrow we will see some different faces. Inshaallah, they will also play good football. I trust my boys – every single one of them – that they will do everything, the best what they can, for the kingdom. I’m sure of this.”
Alwadaei, who currently plays for Villareal in Spain, is set to make his senior international debut for Bahrain. He was one of two players Talajic announced who will be on the pitch at kick-off tonight. Veteran defender Sayed Mahdi Baqer is the other.
“Sure, tomorrow we will see one boy, 16-and-a-half years old, start the game and he will play for us,” Talajic said. “It will be a welcome for him to the Bahrain national team, where he will play for a long time. But not just him, you will see many young boys also who are our power, who will bring Bahraini football to a bigger level.
“I wish all the luck for every one of them who will start. Baqer, he will start and control everything.
“We will change tomorrow a lot of players, but we will not change anything in our way. Our way is to play game by game, and try to play nice football and try to win every single game we play.
“Our boys who will play in the first 11 will show their quality and their wishes to play and fight for our kingdom. Inshaallah, we will enjoy the game tomorrow, with full respect for Yemen.”
Talajic stressed that his team will be going all out for the win and not take things easy, despite it being a game that has no bearing on their qualification for the last four. Bahrain won both their contests so far against Saudi and Iraq and are on six points atop the Group B table. Yemen, who lost their first two contests, head into the tie with only pride to play for, having already been eliminated from contending for a place in the semis.
Saudi and Iraq face off in the other divisional fixture at Al Ahmad International Stadium, also at 5.30pm. It will decide the other team that will advance to the semi-finals from Group B.
Talajic said the national team owe it to Bahrain’s fans to give their very best effort this evening.
“Hamdullah, we have qualified already, but we are coming to this game really focused to win,” he said. “We have to make our Bahraini people proud. They travelled here to support us, so we have something really to give for them.”
The Croatian tactician continued: “We already forgot about our first two games against Saudi and Iraq. We are now focused for our Yemen game because we know it will be a very difficult one and we respect Yemen like we respect Saudi and Iraq.
“When I say we respect Yemen a lot, this is not just talking. When we watched their games and saw how Yemen gave problems for Iraq and Saudi, this means Yemen are very strong. Inshaallah, my boys tomorrow also we will play nice football and make our people happy and proud about us.”
Talajic expressed his sincerest appreciation to all those working with the national team behind the scenes – including the squad’s former head coaches – for their contributions to the development of Bahrain football. He added, however, that they must continue to strive to improve.
“Hamdullah, we have come to a nice level but we need to keep working hard to increase it more and more,” Talajic said. “When you see some players make a transformation inside the field, this is not coming from yesterday. This is from the coaches who also worked before with them. My full mabrook and shukran for previous coaches who worked with these boys. Now I am only trying to give the strawberry on top of the cake.
“The success we made in our first two games and qualifying for the semi-finals is because of the players. Mabrook for them. But also, we have some people who are part of our family, who are behind the team and you never see them – our kit men, our medical staff, my staff, the sport director, technical director, everyone – big mabrook for them because they are working heavily behind us to push us to make some result.
“I have boys who really understand what we are telling them. They try to do everything that we talk about between games and talk about in our meetings.
“I am so proud of them. All of them have beautiful quality. Without the quality – personal quality – some players, you cannot do anything. But hamdullah we have too many players with good quality, we are just making something inside between us, and hamdullah you see in their performance and I am so proud about that.”
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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