AFC Asian Cup 2019: Photo emerges of Qatar stars from youth academy following their title run
Qatar surprised everyone with their steady and consistent performance throughout the recently-concluded AFC Asian Cup 2019.
They were impressive from the start and showed great offence and defence as they scored a whopping 19 goals and only conceded once.
En route to a convincing 3-1 victory over four-time champions Japan, Qatar have now cemented themselves as champions of the region.
A photo recently surfaced showing that Qatar players’ talents have come from years of hard work and persistence – with four players highlighted in a tweet by @QFootLive.
Can you spot Tarek Salman, Akram Afif, Salem Al Hajri and Yousuf Hassan in this Aspire team photo from circa 10+ years ago?
Players Tarek Salman, Akram AFif, Salem Al Hajri and Yousuf Hassan are products of the Aspire Academy and the lessons they’ve learned through these played a major role in their success.
Now, Qatar have their sights on the 2022 FIFA World Cup where they’ll be hosting but the team also knows they have the squad to make a few surprises along the way.
FIFA World Rankings: Qatar set for huge rise after AFC Asian Cup 2019 win; Thailand, Vietnam to improve
Qatar are set to for a huge rise in the FIFA World Rankings after defeating Japan 3-1 to lift the AFC Asian Cup 2019 title at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
According to Footy Rankings, Qatar are set to rise 38 ranks to 55th in world rankings from their previous ranking of 93. By doing so they will become the fifth best-ranked team in Asia behind leaders IR Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and Australia.
Southeast Asian champions Vietnam are also expected to rise one rank to 99th in the world and 18th in Asia after their run into the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. Meanwhile, Thailand who made the Round of 16 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will rise three positions to 115 in world and 20th in Asia.
Asian Cup 2019 runners-up Japan will also make huge progress to become the Asian No. 2 as they rose 23 positions to become world No. 27. Iran will meanwhile maintain their number one spot in Asia and will also rise six ranks to become 22nd in the world.
Australia fell to No. 4 in Asia while Korea Republic also leapfrogged the Socceroos to become third in Asia.
Meanwhile, India fell six ranks after their disappointing exit from the Asian Cup in the group stages to 103rd in world rankings. Philippines will drop eight positions to 124 and are 24th among AFC nations.
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Japan leave ‘Thank you’ note in spotless dressing room after defeat to Qatar in final
Japan might have finished second-best in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 final to Qatar, but the Samurai Blue have proved their class by leaving their dressing room at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi spotless!
Though disappointed in the night, Japan proved their class when they cleaned their dressing room and left it neat and tidy before leaving the stadium.
And not just that, they also left a ‘Thank you’ note for to the country that had hosted them for the past one month or so in three languages — English, Arabic and Japanese.
yeah. Our ultra long Qualifiers last time and FIFA points boosted our Rankings. That benefit will wane off by next year unless we start playing and winning again. Lets hope for a good Qualification journey starting from World Cup this year !!!!
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Qatar's Felix Sanchez - A Spaniard with a philosophy contrary to the Spanish
The former Barcelona youth academy coach cut his coat according to the clothes he had with Qatar...
Felix Sanchez started his managerial journey at the Barcelona academy in 1996, the year Johan Cruyff was shown the door after falling out with then chairman Josep Lluís Núñez. He spent a decade at the Catalan Club and it would not have been surprising if the tactician had brought along the Barcelona way of football when he came to Qatar in 2006.
Credit must be given to the Qatar FA as well who had been rigorously working on a long term plan with the 2022 World Cup in sight. The decision makers roped in Sanchez as the U-19 national team coach in 2013 and in the following year, the Spaniard guided them to the pole position at the AFC U-19 Championship. Finally, before taking charge of the Qatar senior national team in 2017, he was the taskmaster of the U-20 and U-23 national teams.
10 players made it to the AFC Asian Cup squad from the U-23 side which means that Sanchez was already working with the core group of players for a considerable period of time.
He chose to devise a battle plan which would suit his players and also help them fight against the technically superior sides like Japan and South Korea.
Qatar stuck to a 5-3-2 formation in most matches and relied on counter attacks to score the goals. It was evident that each player on the pitch has been drilled with the responsibilities that they are expected to execute and they did it in fine fashion.
With a back five and two defensive midfielders in Abdul Aziz Hatem and Assim Madibo, the manager had built a fortress which conceded just once in the entire tournament. Hatem and Madibo would play the role of destructors in midfield and would also ensure that the defensive shape is maintained with the three centre-backs closely aligning themselves with their movements.
In Pedro Miguel and Abdel Karim Hassan, Sanchez had found two stout and agile wing-backs who are not only solid defensively but also had the capability to make the most of the width of the pitch and stretch the opposition defences.
Since the side depends on counters to score, it was imperative that they make the most of whatever possession they had. They were tactically aware and knew where to position themselves in order to anticipate and close down spaces as quickly as possible.
Against South Korea, they had 39 per cent of the ball and yet the Maroons managed to take 11 shots with four of them on target. This testifies that 43-year-old manager has been able to weave a side which is lethal on the counter, contrary to the philosophy professed by coaches hailing from Barcelona.
The attacking trident of Akram Afif, Almoez Ali and Hassan Al-Haydos has shown exceptional understanding while raiding opposition's defence. Against Japan, it was the combination of Haydos-Afif that set up Almoez, who then with a touch of individual brilliance scored the opener. In Almoez, Sanchez had a striker who could serve as a target-man upfront whereas Afif 's blistering pace comes in handy while initiating a quick counter-attack.
If the Al-Duhail striker broke the 23-year-old Ali Daei's record with that goal, Afif's was as important in the tournament with 11 assists. The Al-Sadd forward has been involved in 12 out of Qatar's 19 goals in this tournament and has played every minute in the Asian Cup which only underlines his importance in Sanchez's system.
Before the final Sanchez was spotted saying that he wants his players to 'enjoy and compete' and also show that they deserved to be where they are. After trouncing Japan (the most successful nation in Asian Cup), even the critics would think twice before questioning the credentials of this coach and his players.
Comments
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Photo emerges of Qatar stars from youth academy following their title run
They were impressive from the start and showed great offence and defence as they scored a whopping 19 goals and only conceded once.
En route to a convincing 3-1 victory over four-time champions Japan, Qatar have now cemented themselves as champions of the region.
A photo recently surfaced showing that Qatar players’ talents have come from years of hard work and persistence – with four players highlighted in a tweet by @QFootLive.
Players Tarek Salman, Akram AFif, Salem Al Hajri and Yousuf Hassan are products of the Aspire Academy and the lessons they’ve learned through these played a major role in their success.
Now, Qatar have their sights on the 2022 FIFA World Cup where they’ll be hosting but the team also knows they have the squad to make a few surprises along the way.
https://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/asian-football/afc-asian-cup/1035535/afc-asian-cup-2019-photo-emerges-of-qatar-stars-from-youth-academy-following-their-title-run/
Victory Celebrations in Qatar
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/qatar-wins-major-football-title-beating-japan-190201162701218.html
FIFA World Rankings: Qatar set for huge rise after AFC Asian Cup 2019 win; Thailand, Vietnam to improve
Qatar are set to for a huge rise in the FIFA World Rankings after defeating Japan 3-1 to lift the AFC Asian Cup 2019 title at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
According to Footy Rankings, Qatar are set to rise 38 ranks to 55th in world rankings from their previous ranking of 93. By doing so they will become the fifth best-ranked team in Asia behind leaders IR Iran, Japan, Korea Republic and Australia.
Southeast Asian champions Vietnam are also expected to rise one rank to 99th in the world and 18th in Asia after their run into the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup. Meanwhile, Thailand who made the Round of 16 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will rise three positions to 115 in world and 20th in Asia.
Asian Cup 2019 runners-up Japan will also make huge progress to become the Asian No. 2 as they rose 23 positions to become world No. 27. Iran will meanwhile maintain their number one spot in Asia and will also rise six ranks to become 22nd in the world.
Australia fell to No. 4 in Asia while Korea Republic also leapfrogged the Socceroos to become third in Asia.
Meanwhile, India fell six ranks after their disappointing exit from the Asian Cup in the group stages to 103rd in world rankings. Philippines will drop eight positions to 124 and are 24th among AFC nations.
https://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/asian-football/1035593/fifa-world-rankings-qatar-set-for-huge-rise-after-afc-asian-cup-2019-win-thailand-vietnam-to-improve/
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Japan leave ‘Thank you’ note in spotless dressing room after defeat to Qatar in final
Japan might have finished second-best in the AFC Asian Cup 2019 final to Qatar, but the Samurai Blue have proved their class by leaving their dressing room at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi spotless!
Though disappointed in the night, Japan proved their class when they cleaned their dressing room and left it neat and tidy before leaving the stadium.
And not just that, they also left a ‘Thank you’ note for to the country that had hosted them for the past one month or so in three languages — English, Arabic and Japanese.
Well done, Samurai Blue!
https://www.foxsportsasia.com/football/asian-football/afc-asian-cup/1035678/afc-asian-cup-2019-japan-leave-thank-you-note-in-spotless-dressing-room-after-defeat-to-qatar-in-final/
AFC Asian Cup 2019: Qatar's Felix Sanchez - A Spaniard with a philosophy contrary to the Spanish
Felix Sanchez started his managerial journey at the Barcelona academy in 1996, the year Johan Cruyff was shown the door after falling out with then chairman Josep Lluís Núñez. He spent a decade at the Catalan Club and it would not have been surprising if the tactician had brought along the Barcelona way of football when he came to Qatar in 2006.
Credit must be given to the Qatar FA as well who had been rigorously working on a long term plan with the 2022 World Cup in sight. The decision makers roped in Sanchez as the U-19 national team coach in 2013 and in the following year, the Spaniard guided them to the pole position at the AFC U-19 Championship. Finally, before taking charge of the Qatar senior national team in 2017, he was the taskmaster of the U-20 and U-23 national teams.
10 players made it to the AFC Asian Cup squad from the U-23 side which means that Sanchez was already working with the core group of players for a considerable period of time.He chose to devise a battle plan which would suit his players and also help them fight against the technically superior sides like Japan and South Korea.
Qatar stuck to a 5-3-2 formation in most matches and relied on counter attacks to score the goals. It was evident that each player on the pitch has been drilled with the responsibilities that they are expected to execute and they did it in fine fashion.
With a back five and two defensive midfielders in Abdul Aziz Hatem and Assim Madibo, the manager had built a fortress which conceded just once in the entire tournament. Hatem and Madibo would play the role of destructors in midfield and would also ensure that the defensive shape is maintained with the three centre-backs closely aligning themselves with their movements.
In Pedro Miguel and Abdel Karim Hassan, Sanchez had found two stout and agile wing-backs who are not only solid defensively but also had the capability to make the most of the width of the pitch and stretch the opposition defences.
Since the side depends on counters to score, it was imperative that they make the most of whatever possession they had. They were tactically aware and knew where to position themselves in order to anticipate and close down spaces as quickly as possible.
Against South Korea, they had 39 per cent of the ball and yet the Maroons managed to take 11 shots with four of them on target. This testifies that 43-year-old manager has been able to weave a side which is lethal on the counter, contrary to the philosophy professed by coaches hailing from Barcelona.
The attacking trident of Akram Afif, Almoez Ali and Hassan Al-Haydos has shown exceptional understanding while raiding opposition's defence. Against Japan, it was the combination of Haydos-Afif that set up Almoez, who then with a touch of individual brilliance scored the opener. In Almoez, Sanchez had a striker who could serve as a target-man upfront whereas Afif 's blistering pace comes in handy while initiating a quick counter-attack.
If the Al-Duhail striker broke the 23-year-old Ali Daei's record with that goal, Afif's was as important in the tournament with 11 assists. The Al-Sadd forward has been involved in 12 out of Qatar's 19 goals in this tournament and has played every minute in the Asian Cup which only underlines his importance in Sanchez's system.
Before the final Sanchez was spotted saying that he wants his players to 'enjoy and compete' and also show that they deserved to be where they are. After trouncing Japan (the most successful nation in Asian Cup), even the critics would think twice before questioning the credentials of this coach and his players.
https://www.goal.com/en-ae/news/afc-asian-cup-2019-qatar-felix-sanchez-the-spanish-manager/vw0fee8ogds11a9338qprtde3
Felications, Mr. Sanchez and Qatar FA...You really deserve it!!!!