Al Wahda coach fears set piece frailty will come back to haunt side in Champions League do-or-die
Al Wahda coach Javier Aguirre with defender Chang Woo Rim speaks to the media ahead of their AFC Champions League fixture against Al Hilal. PICTURE: Organisers.
Abu Dhabi: Conceding goals from set pieces will be a major worry for Al Wahda coach Javier Aguirre ahead of his team’s do-or-die match against Saudi outfits Al Hilal FC in the AFC Champions League Group D fixture at the Al Nahyan Stadium on Tuesday. The action starts at 7.15pm.
Wahda, having lost both their previous matches, are currently sitting at the bottom of the table and any more slip-up mean it would be curtains as far as their chances of progressing from the group is concerned.
Al Hilal, on the other hand, come into the contest on the back of two resounding wins. The visitors are currently tied at the top of the table on four points with Iran’s Persepolis. Al Rayyan, managed by Michael Laudrup, have three points.
Coach Aguirre, on the eve of the encounter, revealed that he has worked on his side’s weakness of letting in goals from set pieces but it is still a matter of concern for him.
“For sure, the set piece is one area we needed to look at and I’m also worried about that. Out of the five goals we conceded, four came from set pieces. In the league also, we lacked focus during the throw-ins and corners,” said Aguirre, adding that he had worked on it with the team and was hoping that they wouldn’t repeat the mistakes in the crunch contest.
“This match is like a final for us and if we don’t win then, it is easy to understand we are out of the competition. We need three points and if we play well we can do that but last match was very disappointing,” added Aguirre, who added his side should play like there is “no tomorrow” to stay afloat in the tournament.
“Al Hilal is a tough team and have an experienced coach whom I have known for a long time. There are players in the side who play for the Saudi national side, so it is going to be a tough challenge,” said Aguirre, whose side last played Al Hilal in the quarter-finals of the 2007 edition of the competition, with both matches ending in a draw. Al Wahda qualified for the semis due to the away-goal rule.
“We come into the match at the back of wins in the local league. We scored five against Sharjah, six goals against Bani Yas and four goals against Kalba and players needs to draw inspiration from it. They know how important the game is and they don’t need too much talking,” said Mexican Aguirre, whose side have only won two of their last 15 group stage games in the AFC Champions League, losing nine of them — including the last two.
Al Wahda’s Korean defender Chang Woo Rim revealed that he and his teammates are upbeat for the challenge at home and will do everything in their power to get the desired result.
“All the teams in our group are tough and we were unlucky to lose two games. We are ready to give our best to stay in the tournament. All we can do is give our 100 per cent and hope we can get a favourable result,” said Rim.
Al Hilal coach Ramon Diaz said: “This is a very important game for us. Wahda are a strong team with players in the calibre of (Jorge) Valdivia and (Sebastian) Tagliabue.”
Diaz went on add his players are in “good shape”.
“We have left some players behind in Riyadh but we have travelled with full strength,” said Diaz.
“We had to deal with some pressure matches and that we all have to deal with in every competition but we were ready to do our best. I wouldn’t say we had luck against Al Rayyan but it was hard work. The game is 90 minutes and if you can score late it’s a credit for the team.”
0 comments: