Abu Dhabi: The UAE national team goalkeeper Ali Khaseif believes the team’s 4-0 home defeat by Uzbekistan last week can act as a wake-up call ahead of their Gulf Cup title defence next month.
The 27-year-old Al Jazira stopper, who is one of the senior members of the squad, admitted the loss in Abu Dhabi shook the side and they will look to learn lessons ahead of the competition in Saudi Arabia.
With coach Mahdi Ali now putting the team through their final preparations, Gulf News caught up with Khaseif to discuss the task ahead.
Excerpts:
Gulf News: The UAE will be the defending champions at the Gulf Cup and expectations are high. Do you think the team are up to the challenge?
Ali Khaseif: Of course it is not an easy challenge as we are the defending champions. The fans will definitely ask us to repeat the same performance. We have reached a level where we understand what the people want and we are capable of living up to the challenge. This tournament has always been a different test and all the teams from this region are of the same level. Hopefully, we can repeat our performance with the support of our fans.
GN: You are one of the most senior members of the team and might have to lead if veteran striker Esmail Matar is off the field. Are you ready for that dual role?
AK: First of all, it is an honour for me to be a part of our national team. We already have a challenge as players and, as a captain, I feel it will be more. I will be only leading in the absence of Matar, but whenever that armband is handed to me, it will be an honour to accept it. We just want to maintain the positivity in the team always and want to keep our fans happy with our good performances.
GN: UAE are placed in a relatively tough group with Kuwait, Iraq and Oman. Which team do you think will be a hard nut to crack and how do you rate them?
AK: Compared to other groups yes, I agree we are in a tough group. Having said that, I would say we should look towards our team and don’t care about who our opponent is. I’m sure everyone in our team is thinking that way. I’m more keen on the performance of my team and that’s how we have to approach this tournament. Each player in the team has to think about his own and his teammates’ performance and nothing else.
GN: What do you think is the biggest strength of the UAE team going into the tournament?
AK: I think, more than anything, it is the camaraderie and team spirit we share that is the biggest strength of this UAE team. Under the supervision of coach Mahdi Ali, we have been able to build that. The technical aspects come next and I don’t think it will be right on my part to speak on it. The important thing is team spirit and that we have. I feel all the 24 members in this UAE team have a huge potential and I would say anyone can shine. That is the biggest plus as all can deliver.
GN: You played two friendlies recently — against Australia [a 0-0 draw] and Uzbekistan [a 4-0 defeat], how will they affect you going into the Gulf Cup?
AK: Against Australia we played well. They were a very strong team with World Cup experience. If you compare them with us, they were physically very strong. They had the height advantage as well and, despite that, I feel we played really well to hold them. However, yes, the loss against Uzbekistan was a difficult thing for us to take as we are used to winning and being on top at home. We accept that we couldn’t cross that hurdle on that day but there is no excuse. However, there is also a huge plus as it also shook us up and now we have the time to work on our mistakes before an event like the Gulf Cup.
GN: Would you have preferred to have a coach like Eric Gerets earlier in your career and what do you like about the Al Jazira coach?
AK: I have trained under a lot of coaches but the special thing about Gerets is his commitment. He is very punctual and values time. He lets you feel that he is a part of your family and, of course, on the field he is your coach and commands respect. You feel like giving 200 percent to him. His office is always open to us and, if you want to know about a coach, then you should always ask the players on the bench. Gerets always believes in giving a chance to his reserves and they all will say that he has added a lot of value to the team.