Announced Laba and Other Key Players Are Back and Will Play the Next Match Against Kalba.. Pedro: We Are Equipped with the Fighting Spirit and Strong Performance to Sustain the Victories Record
Portuguese Pedro Emmanuel, head coach of Al Ain Team, opened the pre-match press conference by addressing a special season’s greetings and wishing all Christians a merry Christmas. He said: “Before start talking about football, I would like to extend my sincerest wishes of merry Christmas to all who are celebrating this occasion despite the hard and difficult times we are experiencing, and I pray to be back to normal life.”
As for his team’s match against Kalba, he said: “As you know, Kalba with 17 points in their balance is placed directly behind Al Ain Team in the standing table. This is why we know what we are meant to do, and we have to be on alert. I believe our guests have high expectations considering that they watched our match against Bani Yas. Yes, this is their way of thinking will be. However, if they watch our recent match against Al Nasr and the week before against Ajman, even though we were not lucky enough in the latter, they will see a completely different team.”
The head coach added:” Our team’s performance is improving day by day, and the players show their quality potentials. They enjoy the team’s spirit considering that the key players have rejoined the squad. Indeed, this adds value to our style of playing and boost the team’s spirit as we did in our last match against Al Nasr.”
Commenting on Kalba’s aspirations to win the match, he stated: “Kalba is a good team, and they are behind us with one point difference, as I stated earlier. Absolutely, they aspire to play here and win us. So, it is all about us and the way we are going to handle the match. We have to boost our efforts to occupy and an advanced spot in the standing table.”
“I do not doubt that the players have a great desire to win the guests, especially after their brilliant performance against Al Nasr last week and the collective way of playing although they were down by one and playing against eleven strong players. They exhibited the genuine and strong team character, and this is what I am expecting this coming match,” Pedro said.
He went on to say: “The last victory boosted the players’ self-confidence, and this is what we are in deep need to play a strong match against Kalba. We need to be a strong team with a strong front line, which will make the difference when playing one against one and duels. We have to maintain a high level of concentration once we launch our attacks against Kalba, and we have to play accurate passes and know exactly when to send strong shots against Kalba, and most importantly, not giving the guests the chance to play in our area. This is our plan for the next match, and we have to enjoy a high level of concentration. We do respect Kalba, our work, our fans, and our club. We are aiming at winning the match’s three points, which is the most important thing for us if we intend to win the title of the league.”
As for contracting new players in the winter transfer window, he said: “I do not think this is a good time to talk about this issue. We are only focusing on our match against Kalba, which is the most important for us. We all know that we can snatch the match’s point, and we have to do so to be further closer to the top spot. This is what we are focusing on as the future for me, and we will just focus on this. I will not allow any person to think differently.”
He called upon the Board of Directors, Club Management, coaching teams, the players, and fans to think about the coming match against Kalba only as it is the most crucial match.
Tackling Laba’s injury and the possibility of playing the next match, Pedro stated that he was injured like any other player and joined a recovery program. “We have other injured players, like Caio Canedo, and other important players. Laba is doing his job.”
Pedro also stated that “this week is the happiest one for him as he sees several players back to the training sessions. Definitely, we will see some of them in the coming match flowing a long period of absence, including Laba.”
In this regard, Pedro pointed out: “We have to be cautious! If we are in a rush and give them the chance to play, this might send them back to the medical clinic. We have to do this correctly and ensure that the players are in good condition when they rejoin the squad. This justifies why I am happy. I see them exerting sincere efforts in the training sessions and prove that our squad is stronger than ever. This is my expectations for the coming match, and players who are not 100% ready, their names will not be included in the lineup of the team.”
When asked about the low level of concentration when playing against low ranking teams on the standing table, he said: “Yes, it is a fact indeed. When we lose concentration in such type of matches, we usually are not a strong team. We all have to admit that we are playing against a strong opponent, and we have to be highly focused as of the kickoff whistle until the end of the match. This is what we are going to change this time.”
Pedro concluded his statement by saying: “If we play in the same way we played against Al Nasr, we will make the difference; we played strongly with a high level of concentration. Although Kalba is not similar to Al Nasr, they still a strong opponent, and the difference is only one point. We will show high respect to the guests and fight to snatch the three points.”
