AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023/ Qatar's Team Former Players to QNA: Team is on Track to Defend Title

Doha, January 21 (QNA) - Former players of the Qatari national team said that the team is progressing in the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 and has the ability to defend its title that was won in 2019.
Previous staff and stars of the Qatari team stated exclusively to Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the team accomplished the first task of advancing to the round of 16 in an optimal way after they topped Group A.
Majid Al Khulaifi, the administrator and football expert who served as director of the Qatari national teams in previous years, said that the team did well by already securing their spot in the next stage by winning the two matches, especially considering that coach Marquez Lopez took over his role shortly before the start of the tournament.
Al Khulaifi told QNA that the team has a good goalkeeper Meshaal Barsham as well as a solid and cohesive defensive line, while the duo of Akram Afif and AlMoez Ali embody the team's offensive strength.
He advised the team to take the final confrontation in the group stage against China on Monday seriously and to try and keep up with its winning streak. He pointed to the importance of the team's staff and players to handle each match as they come and play valiantly against whoever the opponent is.
Former star and football analyst, Abdulaziz Hassan said that the team accomplished the task of surpassing the group stage with ease, but he noted that the team needs more solutions and stability in the formation in reference to the changes that coach Lopez makes from one match to another.
The former Qatar SC star explained that the formation that played in the first match may have shocked some, but coach Lopez remains the most knowledgeable about the technical details and the levels of the players. Even though he was part of the football scene in Doha for many years, taking over the role a short time ago must have been challenging for the coach since coaching the national team is completely different.
He also praised Akram Afif and AlMoez Ali's performances in the past two matches, as it is a positive indication of what is to come, especially in the major matches. The player stressed the need for the team to keep up with its work since the upcoming matches are set to be more difficult.
Abdulaziz Hassan expressed his confidence in the ability of the Qatari team to reach the advanced stages of the tournament and be able to defend its title. He also praised the support of the Qatari fans toward the team, reflected in the large number of attendances in the two matches. The support and interest for the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 are sure to grow even bigger with the progress of the tournament where it will see major teams meeting. 

In exclusive remarks to QNA, former Qatar team star Mohammed Mubarak Al Mohannadi highlighted Qatar's achievement by winning the first and second matches against Lebanon and Tajikistan and advancing to the round of 16 of the AFC Asian Football Cup Qatar 2023, within the team's efforts to defend their continental title.
Talking about the positive gains achieved by the team, the winners of the title in the last edition in 2019, he said that the most prominent of which were the great confidence noticed in the performance of all the players and the tactical maturity in the playing system, while noting Spanish coach Marques Lopez's ability to understand the players' capabilities.
Al Mohannadi, a former member of the Qatar Football Association, pointed out that certain considerations shall be taken in the round of 16, especially since it will be played according to the direct knockout system, a matter which requires playing with great focus as well as studying the strengths and weaknesses of all competitors.
Former Qatar team player Adel Khamis praised the performance presented by Al Adaam in their matches against Lebanon and Tajikistan, underlining the progress achieved by the team from one match to another. He added that the team started to enter the tournament atmosphere, as winning gives players more confidence and that was what happened in the 2019 edition that they won its title.
While highlighting that the team presented better in the second match against Tajikistan compared to that against Lebanon, the former international player said that Qatar team has not yet faced a strong test, and that the test will be from the knockout rounds.
For his part, former Qatari star Raed Yaqoub noted that expectations from and aspirations for the national team's campaign during the current continental championship are very high, as the fans place great hopes on the current squad for a strong appearance and repeating the great achievement done in the last edition in the UAE.
The former Al Arabi Club player said the players have so far played in a satisfactory manner, underlining the great confidence enjoyed by the current team regardless of the criticism directed at them during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. He stressed his confidence in Qatar team's ability to reach the semi-finals of the tournament, and that they will be able to defend the title they won in the last edition. (QNA)