New Al Sadd coach Roberto Mancini
Doha, Qatar: New Al Sadd coach Roberto Mancini expressed his happiness to be in Qatar and promised to achieve more victories and accomplishments for the club.
Speaking to Al Sadd’s official website today in his first media statement after taking charge of the first football team, the coach said that the goal is to correct the course by delivering better performances and securing more wins, acknowledging that the current situation appears difficult.
Al Sadd’s management had announced yesterday, Thursday, that it had signed the experienced Italian coach for two and a half seasons to replace Spain’s Felix Sanchez, as part of the club’s efforts to strengthen the technical staff with high-level coaching expertise capable of fulfilling the team’s ambitions and continuing its record of achievements.
Mancini said that the current situation was not befitting of a club of Al Sadd’s stature. He added that his focus will be on improving the team’s condition by gaining a better understanding of the players’ abilities and then making decisions that serve the club’s future.
He added that in football it is difficult to speak about long-term objectives and that it is better to focus on short-term goals, particularly overcoming the current period of poor results.
The coach emphasized that winning the Qatar Stars League title for a third consecutive time is possible, but it is essential to win matches consecutively in order to move up the standings. He noted that the team also aims to improve its position in the AFC Champions League Elite and climb the table in the West region’s league phase, but doing so requires winning many matches in the group stage to attempt qualification for the next round.
Mancini expressed satisfaction with the team’s level after watching the most recent Elite match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli, considering that Al Sadd did not deserve to lose after delivering a strong performance.
Al Sadd’s management had previously ended the contract of former coach Felix Sanchez by mutual consent following unsatisfactory domestic and continental results, appointing his compatriot and assistant Sergio Aliegri on an interim basis until a new manager was hired.
Al Sadd’s start to the Qatar Stars League (QNB Stars League), where it holds the last two titles, has not been as expected. So far, the team has collected only 14 points from four wins and two draws, along with three losses, placing it sixth in the standings. The club has also failed to deliver good results in the AFC Champions League Elite, earning only two points from two draws and two losses, placing it tenth in the league phase of the West region.
Mancini has a distinguished coaching record, achieving major successes with Italian clubs such as Fiorentina, Lazio, and Inter Milan, in addition to Manchester City, which he led to win the English Premier League in the 2011-2012 season, ending a 44-year title drought.
The 60-year-old Mancini previously coached the Saudi national team from August 2023 to October 2024, leading them in 18 international matches, during which he achieved seven wins, five draws, and six losses. The 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Doha was his final stop with Saudi Arabia after the team exited the Round of 16 following a penalty-shootout defeat to South Korea
