DOHA: Al Rayyan coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena yesterday said the players have been apprised of the club’s targets in the new season and one of them is playing committed football on the pitch.
Arruabarrena said the positive results will certainly make an impression on the minds of the club fans.
“We have set our goals for the season. We have told our players what are our objectives and what we are expecting from them,” Arruabarrena said yesterday.
“We do not want to say we want to win the title, it is easy to say that. We want our performance on the football field to do the talking for us. We have a winning group and I have trust in my players and have confidence that they will deliver,” he added.
He informed that during the 15-day pre-season training period the team focused on the tactical and fitness aspects.
“We had a very short period to train but we had a fruitful training. We have been able to explain the tactics to the players and what the coach wants and what the coach in turn expects from them (players),” Arruabarrena said.
The Argentinian tactician, who spent the last two seasons coaching clubs in the UAE, said some of the injured players are expected to return to training which will help to strike the right balance ahead of the QNB Star League (QSL).
The former Boca Juniors trainer said the job profile of a football coach has changed over the last few years and it has become a 24-hour job.
“A coach needs to be a multi-tasking one. You need to watch out for the videos of your opponents and accordingly analyze the opponents game to your team players,” Arruabarrena said.
“You also need to keep a tab on what is happening with the rival teams. You need to know how the teams in your group are performing, so the coaching job is now a 24-hour job,” added Arruabarrena, who spent most of his playing career with Boca Juniors.
He also played for Spain’s Villarreal, AEK Athens and Tigreand Universidad Católic
Arruabarrena, who took over from Danish great Michael Laudrup, said it is a fact that his line-up has just two professional players but said officials of the club have spread the net wide enough to get more professional players to complete the quota.
“Club officials are looking to bring in more professional players, hopefully in the coming weeks we will be able to fill the spots,” Arruabarrena said.
Al Rayyan player Abdul Rahman Al Karbi said that the club did not win any title but came close to wining the Amir Cup.
“We lost in the final of the Amir Cup and did well in the QNB stars League finishing among the top four, while in the AFC Champions league, we had mixed results,” Al Karbi said.
“It has been a difficult period for the players and the spectators, hopefully we have a great season ahead,” he added.
The regular football season starts on August 4.
