We took advantage of the stoppage period despite the absence of the international players
Vladimir Ivić: We are required to show the spirit of one team.. And players’ mentality makes the difference
Vladimir Ivić, who is the Serbian head coach of Al Ain first football team, confirmed that his team took advantage of the current stoppage period positively, despite the absence of a number of international players due to their participation with their national football teams, pointing out that his team’s preparations were going on very well.
During the introductory press conference for his team’s match vs Dibbah Al Hisn, Ivić said the following statement: “I think that we will perform better than we did before the stoppage period. For me, this period of time was very useful, where I had the opportunity to understand my players very well, as well as to work with them on the smallest technical details, which will contribute in improving the team’s overall performance.”
He also added the following statement: “I arrived at the team only three weeks and a half before the onset of the stoppage period, so it is very difficult for any new football manager to take on five consecutive matches without having the opportunity to become familiar enough with the team, so this period of time was necessary in order to evaluate the players’ performance and to understand their capabilities.”
Over the challenges Al Ain is facing when playing vs those teams who are not competing on the tournament’s top position, the Serbian head coach said the following statement: “The players’ mental and intellectual aspects are the key through such situations. So, every player has to be well aware that he is representing a big team. Accordingly, triumph cannot be achieved without everyone playing as a one ecosystem, not each player working for himself only. Individual thinking is what creates issues within the realm of football, while collective concentration is what creates the difference.”
Ivić concluded his speech by pointing out that his team’s ranks are now almost complete, but he explained that there are some minor injuries, emphasizing that the coaching staff will be finished with evaluating this condition on weekend.
