Ignore home pressure, Xavi urges Al Sadd

Coach Xavi yesterday urged the Al Sadd players to ignore home pressure ahead of the team’s opening FIFA Club World Cup match today against Oceania champions Hienghene Sport.

The 38-year-old, a vastly experienced campaigner for La Liga giants Barcelona in his heyday, took over as Al Sadd coach a few months ago but the 2010 World Cup winner with Spain made it clear he won’t put pressure on his players to deliver.

Al Sadd who finished third in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup behind winners Barcelona and Santos of Spain, will be playing against their relatively unknown rivals at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.

“I tried to tell the players that the pressure is for me,” Xavi said when asked about playing at a packed venue with cheering home fans.

“I tell them ‘you have to enjoy the game’. If you have or feel pressure, then you can’t enjoy the game. I have told them to remove pressure from their minds. They can’t be afraid. They have much talent to show everybody,” Xavi said at a pre-match press conference.

Xavi’s confidence stems from the fact that his side has at least six national team players besides calling in for the services of Atletico Madrid star Gabi, feared Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah and Korean international forward Nam Tae-hee.

Al Sadd captain Hassan Al Haydos, Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif, key defender Abdulkarim Hassan and 2019 Asian Cup’s star keeper Saad Al Sheeb are also set to feature in the opening match.

Xavi said competing at the seven-team event remains a ‘huge honour’ for his side aiming to replicate their performance of 2011 when they finished third at FIFA”s top club event.

“I want to say that we are happy to be in this competition. Its a big privilege to be playing here. We are playing against continental champions. We are excited as it is one of the biggest events for the players. It is a premier event,” Xavi said.

“It’s an unbelievable football event for Qatar to host,” he said.

“We know the difficulty of this game but we are ready to compete. We will do our best as it is an honour for Al Sadd players to play in this event.

“You never know what can happen in football. We play this sport because of the passion. We will go step by step,” Xavi said.

Xavi, who played against Al Sadd in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, said he is enjoying the experience of coaching the Doha giants.

“Now it is different. I was part of another club but I am happy to be here. It is a good experience for me and it’s a big tournament for the players,” Xavi said.

“We will compete hard. We will try our best. We have been together for four or five months. The players know my philosophy. I think this philosophy was different that we had a few years ago,” he added.

Xavi said: “Yes, we didn’t have too much time to prepare. It’s the schedule we got. This tournament is part of the calendar. It’s not an excuse but the players are in a good shape. The team is ready.”

Al Sadd midfield Tarek Salman said yesterday: “It’s a different event. A lot of tough sides are here. Definitely we will try our best. There won’t be any lack of effort from us. I hope the fans turn up in big numbers. It will be a great atmosphere. This is a big event.”

When asked about playing with and under Xavi, Salman said: “I am proud to play under his guidance. I can say that I played with him and now am playing under him. He has great qualities. He knows how to deal with pressure.”

Hienghene Sport coach Felix Tagawa said his team is expecting a ‘tough contest’.

“It will be a tough game. They attack and they make things harder for the opponents. (Al Sadd coach) Xavi won a lot of big deals at the European level,” Tagawa said yesterday.

“But if you want to know us, you have to play against us we have done well to reach this competition. We are prepared. We are not afraid. We are building this team,” he warned.

“We reached (Doha) early. We have been here for more than a week. That is an advantage. There’s no need to praise guys like Gabi and Xavi. Gabi was an excellent player in Europe. They have good backline or strikers. The defenders can also surprise. A player like Baghdad Bounedjah is the most dangerous,” Tagawa said.

Striker Bertrand Kai said yesterday: “We will face a good team. They have won a lot of tough titles. We will do our best to face Al Sadd team. We have nothing to lose. We are well prepared.”

The match kicks off at 8:30pm.