Zoran Mamic: We should Build up our Performance in both Local and Asian Competitions
The Croatian Zoran Mamic, coach of Al Ain FC, congratulated his team on the occasion of their exciting winning over their host Bunyodkor of Uzbekistan on their own field and among their fans. He said: “Praise be to God for this good result, and I highly appreciate the efforts of the team captain Omar Abdul Rahman and his teammates for their fighting spirit and determination to return from Tashkent with the three points.”
“We were in dire need for getting luck on our side, particularly at the front line after the first round of the competition against the Iranian team Zob Ahan Esfahan FC on our ground ended in a draw. Today we have been able to take advantage of the situation by scoring three goals against Bunyodkor. However, we received two goals in this match, so need to double our efforts to ensure we achieve a better result in the Champions League to be able to keep up our good results,” he added.
Responding to a question on whether having a brilliant player like Omar Abdul Rahman whom all the team relies on is a negative point or not, he said: “No doubt full reliance on a top player like “Amoory” is not a good thing; yet, it is not a negative one either. We might miss any player’s services as it is a fact in the world of football due to suspension or injury. Thus, we need to be more resilient and rely on all the team members to ensure roles integration through efficient training and adopting the teamwork attitude.”
Coach Zoran comments on a question about his team’s reliance on winning through free kicks, as the first goal was scored as a result of a free kick near the box, while the third goal was scored through a penalty kick, he said: “I believe that what matters most is to score a goal, regardless of the way you do that and whether it was scored from a free kick or a penalty kick, the result is the same, and it is scored in favor of my team. With all due respect to your viewpoint, I was very pleased with the goals we scored against Bunyodkor.”
Following the end of the match, he expressed his view of the Bunyodkor team saying: “Actually, during the introductory press conference before the game, I stated that we would play against a strong and well-organized team who had outstanding players such as Shakhzodbek Nurmatov, Dostonbek Khamdamov and Eldor Shomurodov. My opinion of Bunyodkor team has not changed after the end of the match.”
Responding to a question about the difference between the training style he adopted with the Croatian team Dinamo Zagreb, and the one he is currently implementing with the Emirati team, Al Ain, he said: “Every coach has his own way of utilizing his team’s potentials on the ground. The same assistants worked with me in Dinamo Zagreb, the Saudi team Al-Nassr FC, and the Emirati team Al Ain. What matters most for me now is to enhance the performance of my team at the local and Asian levels.”
In his explanation of the reason why the team’s results have worsened, he said: “I have answered the same question during the introductory press conference of the match, and I am now repeating the same answer: losing the game in the final match of the Champions League contributes, naturally, to the relative decrease of the team’s level. Moreover, many of the key players were absent due to injury. The first and foremost objective for us now is to work on fixing the team’s mistakes properly.
