Hernán Crespo: We are ready to take on our match vs Al Gharafa and we are well aware that our task will not be easy
Hernán Crespo, the Argentine manager of Al Ain, expressed his cheerfulness over returning to Qatar, in which he spent very pleasant times. At the same time, he expressed his pride over his team’s presence amongst “the elite” clubs on the level of the Asian continent as the champion team of AFC Champions League during the last season, explaining: “We are well aware that our task will not be easy vs a very good team that is comprised of very distinguished players among their ranks, but we are Al Ain, the champion team and we are ready to take on tomorrow’s match with all due respect for the ambitions of the competing team.”
Commenting on a question over the team’s match vs Al Gharafa as the champion team for the continent, he said: “In the realm of football there are no easy matches, let alone AFC Champions League for the “elite”, so we are required to show up our powerful character. Personally, I am very happy to be facing Al Gharafa, and, as I have already mentioned to you, they are a very good team and they have distinguished players, including players I used to train at Al Duhail. Also, we are in our best situation and we will be working to perform our bet in this match.”
In response to a question about the situation of his team before taking on their match vs Al Gharafa, especially after the draw vs Al Sa’ad on their pitch and among their fans, he said: “We do respect all of our competitors, especially Al Gharafa, but we have to think about ourselves and our style of play, while we should not be preoccupied with the past and now,we consider our match vs Al Sa’ad something that is now in the past. We were the best on the pitch and the closest to claim victory, but that match is over now and our concentration is now focused on a new match, while our goal is clear in this tournament which is to qualify to the next stage of competitions.”
Over the expected absent players, he said: “Reality confirms that we have posted all details related to the team’s lineup and the absent player on the team’s social media accounts.”
Over the expected watch over the key component of his team’s style of play, Soufiane Rahimi, the best player in the past season of AFC Champions League and the tournament’s top scorer, he said: “We have our own philosophy and our own way of thinking, while we are always working to find the best solutions on the ground, we also have confidence in our players and their professional mentality which allow them to find the best solutions while facing all challenges.”
