Al Duhail’s French coach, Christopher Galtier, confirmed that he knows the opponent well in the upcoming match against Umm Salal in the third week of the Ooredoo Stars League, and although they achieved victory over us last season, I know them well, and I also know their coach and I know his method of work well.
Galtier added: The team worked hard and worked well to follow up on Umm Salal and we know that they have an advanced front line, but the most important thing is what we will offer in this match. Will we be satisfied with what we offered and win the previous two matches, or will our team continue to work positively and in line with our ambition to continue our victories, which will be a good thing before the next international break, and that every match has its own special features.
He continued: There are many things that have changed from last season and the team structure has also changed, in addition to what the club president is offering to the team. We have been here in Qatar for 9 months now and the mentality has changed. The thing I always ask the players to do is to focus on training. We work as an integrated group system and not individually and I try to have a good team ready for every match we play.
He added: I always hope that the players are motivated and determined to perform at a better level. It is important to achieve victory before the international break, and this is an important thing.
When asked about the difference between last season and this season, he said: Last season was new for me, getting used to the atmosphere, and there was following the team and the league in general, and on a personal level as well, and I was very busy with some matters related to France, and thank God today I enjoy a stable life, I love the players and I love the club, and I am happy here in any case now.
For his part, Al Duhail player Ismail Mohamed confirmed that the team is preparing for all matches with a separate plan for each match and that the technical staff has directed the players well in preparation for the Umm Salal match and the goal is to achieve victory.
The player added that the reason for the team’s decline in results last season was due to the decline in the levels of some players and the injuries that affected the team and greatly affected the overall level of the team, but the continuation of the technical director is a very sound decision in order to maintain the stability of the players and provide an excellent level.
Regarding the absence from Asian participation this season, Ismail Mohamed confirmed that this is the first time the team has not been present in the Asian championships, but with the passage of time we must recover from any stumble or setback and return strongly to the Asian championships.