The technical staff of Al-Faisaly Football Club, led by Egyptian coach Tarek Mostafa, appear to be tasked in the current period with working to raise the level of cohesion and understanding between players, as the team approaches an important Asian commitment in the AFC Champions League Two, which demands high technical and physical readiness and a greater ability to handle high-level competitive matches.
اضافة اعلان
Al-Faisaly have so far played three matches since the start of the season, all highly competitive, facing Al-Hussein Irbid and Al-Wehdat in the Super Cup matches, before meeting Al-Wehdat again in the Pro League's opening round.
These matches, despite their importance and the strength of the opponents, showed that the team still needs more time and work to reach the level of cohesion it's looking for, especially since some players still need greater understanding on the pitch, whether in terms of movement, positioning, or the speed of building attacks and transitions.
Observers believe the circumstances of the start of the season may not have helped the technical staff much in achieving the cohesion they're seeking, given that the draw pitted Al-Faisaly against strong, direct rivals from the outset, making it difficult to make wide-ranging changes to the lineup or give a large number of players playing time, especially in highly competitive matches like those against Al-Wehdat and Al-Hussein Irbid.
Attention now turns to Al-Faisaly's match against Dhofar, scheduled for next Friday, which a number of observers see as a suitable opportunity for coach Tarek Mostafa to give as many players as possible a chance to play, aiming to boost their technical and physical readiness, as well as work on increasing cohesion among the team's various elements before entering the Asian competition.
Observers believe Al-Faisaly's technical staff should look to involve defender Hossam Abu Al-Thahab in the upcoming Dhofar match, aiming to prepare him and give him match sharpness ahead of the anticipated clash with Al-Rayyan, especially since Abu Al-Thahab is considered a good defender who the technical staff may need for such fixtures. On the other hand, the most notable absence from Al-Faisaly's ranks at the moment may be player Nour Al-Rawabdeh, who is dealing with an issue in one of his back vertebrae, pending how his condition develops and his readiness progresses.
The Dhofar match carries added significance, coming just days before Al-Faisaly travel to Qatar, where the team is preparing to face Qatar's Al-Rayyan in the opening match of its AFC Champions League Two campaign. Giving as many players as possible a chance to play could therefore help the technical staff get a clearer picture of the readiness of all the team's players, and choose the most suitable options for the upcoming Asian clash.
The current period also requires all of Al-Faisaly's players to be at peak technical and physical readiness, especially as the team heads into Asian matches that differ in nature and level of competition, making it important for the technical staff to have a squad that's ready and able to contribute, whether in the starting lineup or among the substitutes.
In this context, national coach and AFC lecturer Diyan Saleh confirmed that Al-Faisaly coach Tarek Mostafa's philosophy is built primarily around discipline, rather than relying on possession in the opponent's half, noting that the team clearly relies on winning back the ball and then quickly transitioning into attack.
Saleh told Al-Ghad that this approach is likely to be the one Al-Faisaly's coach relies on against Qatar's Al-Rayyan as well, especially since the time remaining before the Asian match isn't long enough to allow the coach to make a radical change to the style of play or reach the high level of cohesion the team's fans are hoping for.
He added that the approach Al-Faisaly showed in the matches against Al-Wehdat and Al-Hussein Irbid, built on discipline and relying on transitions after winning the ball back, is expected to dominate the match against Al-Rayyan as well, noting that the technical staff now need, at this stage, to settle on a lineup and give players more opportunities to play together, helping to build understanding between them before the Asian competition.
Saleh pointed out that the technical staff could use the Dhofar match on Friday to apply some of the tactical ideas they intend to rely on against Al-Rayyan, especially since Dhofar tend to favor holding possession, which could give Al-Faisaly a chance to approach the match in a tactically similar way, testing their pressing mechanism, winning back the ball, and quickly transitioning to attack.
Al-Faisaly's fans hope the technical staff make the best possible use of the upcoming match, not just to secure results, but also to reach the highest levels of readiness and cohesion before the start of the Asian campaign, especially since competing in the AFC Champions League Two requires a team with a clear identity, a settled lineup, and the ability to handle different scenarios on the pitch.
It's worth noting that Al-Faisaly were drawn into Group C of the AFC Champions League Two, alongside Saudi Arabia's Al-Taawoun, Qatar's Al-Rayyan, and Oman's Al-Nahda. The team begins its campaign against Al-Rayyan in Qatar on the 16th of this month, at 9:15 PM, at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, before returning to Amman to play Al-Nahda and Al-Taawoun on October 14 and 28, respectively.
Al-Faisaly will then travel to face Al-Taawoun on Wednesday, November 4, at 9:15 PM, at Wolves Park Stadium in Saudi Arabia, before hosting Qatar's Al-Rayyan in the fifth round on Wednesday, November 25, at 7:00 PM, at Amman International Stadium. Al-Faisaly will wrap up their group-stage matches against Oman's Al-Nahda on Wednesday, December 9, at 8:00 PM, at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in the Sultanate of Oman.
Resource: Al-Ghad. Reporting: Mohammad Arabiyat
