On the eve of the upcoming match versus Al Ahli in Round 18 of the Ooredoo Stars League, Al Duhail First Football Team French Head Coach Christophe Galtier stressed the difficulty of the match during the pre-match press conference.

A complex match and the importance of focusing on the upcoming match

At the beginning of his speech, Galtier stressed the importance of not being distracted and focusing only on the upcoming match, saying: Of course, it will be a difficult match, as every match has its importance, and I do not want the players to be preoccupied with the upcoming matches. We must only focus on the next match.

The coach also referred to the seriousness shown by the players in training this week, saying: The players worked hard and with discipline during the training sessions, but we must maintain this level of commitment and complete focus on our match versus Al Ahli, without paying attention to the results of the competing teams. Our only goal is to win, and as we are the league leaders, we must remain focused on ourselves and not waste our energy thinking about our direct contenders.

Inconsistent performance in the last match

Galtier touched on the previous match, highlighting some of the difficulties the team faced, especially in the first half, saying: We struggled in team play, with or without the ball, and the team was not as cohesive as required.
However, he acknowledged the improvement in performance in the second half, especially during the 25 to 30 minutes, before noticing some decline: I felt a lot of tension in the last ten minutes, which affected us. Every player must remain calm and focused without getting excited.

Working on improving defensive solidity

Among the aspects that the coach emphasized was the defensive aspect, saying: During this week, and especially in the last session, I emphasized the importance of team play, strengthening technical ties between the players, in addition to the need to exert greater defensive efforts from everyone.
He also expressed his dissatisfaction with the defensive laxity in the previous match: We gave the opponents many dangerous opportunities because some players did not make the required defensive efforts.

Opponents adapt to team style but winning spirit continues

Galtier also spoke about how rival teams have adapted to Al Duhail style of play, saying: Players like Hakim Ziyech and Edmilson Junior demand the ball a lot in depth, which has made opposing teams study our style well and know how to deal with it.

Despite this, the French coach stressed that the team is still on the right track, adding: The most important thing is that we continue to achieve victories, even if it sometimes comes at the expense of performance. This reflects the team strength of character and its ability to deal with challenges.

Al Duhail will have to put in a strong match against Al Ahli, and continue winning to maintain the league lead and move forward towards the title.