Zoran: Playing Against River Plate is the Players Opportunity to Make the History
Al Ain FC head coach Zoran Mamic said the match against River Plate is a decent opportunity for the Boss’ players to make the history when they meet on Tuesday evening in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup.
“We have played well in the tournament so far and we want to achieve more. We respect our rivals River Plate, they are a great team and I expect the game to be tougher than the previous two meetings,” Zoran said in the pre-match press conference.
He added: “Al Ain has never played before against a big team like River Plate so we have to enjoy all the moments of this match.”
The coach said that his squad will have the midfielder Mohamed Abdel Rahman “Ajab” onboard again as he was suspended due to the red card he received in the first match. “Mohammed Abdel Rahman will join the team’s list, but we will miss Ibrahim Diaky because of pain in the back, and for Marcus Berg and Yahiya Nader, they are in a good shape now and ready to participate.”
“It’s not easy to choose 11 players from the full list of the players, everyone wants to participate in this historic match and do their best, sometimes it’s hard to select the starting XI. It is not easy at all,” said Zoran Mamic.
“The coaches in such situations are in an unenviable position, so I will choose 11 warriors for coming game. In the press conferences, they always ask me about the squad. This time the final result of the match will prove if I did select the right players or not.”
“River Plate has a strong front line and unique and great midfielders. You cannot know from where you will be facing the danger. We will try to be more focused in this game, to be aggressive and to do everything we can. That does not mean that if we do well, we will prevent the opponent to score. They are a good team and therefore as I said we should be in the top level of concentration.”
“They have great midfielders and I know that Real Madrid is going to contract with one of them. They are a great team with a great head coach. But at the end of the day, they are human beings. We must do our best and play smartly with great fighting spirit because this is the most important factor that can help us win the opponent,” he said.
“We do not have to do anything special, just score more goals,” the Croatian head coach said in response to a question on whether he would change his tactics or give the opportunity to new faces to be able to win River Plate.
On statements made by the head coach of River Plate and that he identified the strong and weak points of Al Ain team, he responded: “It’s normal! Every coach analyses his opponent. Indeed, what I would like to say is that performance on the pitch will identify the best team and we will see what happens during the game.”
“All the players’ health conditions are good. They players have recovered from the disease. Marcus Berg and Yahiya Nadir feel very good and are in good shape now,” he said in response to a question about the health of his players after the spread of the flu virus among the players.
“I’m proud of my team players. They are skilful and quality players. Their ambition is limitless and winning the previous two games gives them the confidence to perform better against a team like River Plate,” he said.
On the reason behind using the word “enjoy” playing the match more than once, Zoran Mamic said: “We are going to face a big team and certainly this is an advantage for us to play an official match against a great team. We have to be happy because we are currently in a serious historical position that will make the history of Al Ain Club”.
“We do not have to play under pressure because that will hinder us, and we will not be able present ourselves well. I always say to the players, enjoy and keep your heads high and do your best on the pitch because it is the right way to keep you away from any source of pressure.”
Al Ain head coach expressed his happiness to see the Egyptian international player, Hussein El Shahat, back to his great levels. He said: “I am very happy to see him shine again. He was exhausted when he joined the team at the beginning of the season and rumours were chasing him. Definitely, he is an important and key player in my squad and he is a valuable asset to the team because he sometimes does great and unexpected things.”
