The Portuguese Artur Jorge, Al Rayyan’s coach, emphasized the team’s readiness for the match against Al Ahli. He said during the press conference held on the sidelines of the Al Rayyan vs. Al Ahli match in the 16th round of the Doha Bank Stars League: “This period is a challenge for us because we need to adapt some behaviors. Certainly, this is our first match in the month of Ramadan, and we need to draw on our experience from last season and the players’ long years of experience to deal with it. We must be prepared for the match, especially since we have two or three matches after the start of Ramadan. We have to do what is available to us to try to change the daily routine, maintain the players’ condition, and train them hard so they are ready for the matches.”
He added: “We know we are facing a tough opponent in the upcoming match. Al Ahli is a very good team, and I have known that from the beginning, so for me, what they are presenting is no surprise, especially in continental competitions. But honestly, my only focus is on our team because we strongly believe in the approach and the work we are doing. The last three matches were very good for boosting confidence and trying to improve some things for the players and the team as a whole. This is our path: giving our all in every training session and match, maintaining the same mindset and ambition to get the three points against Al Ahli.”
Regarding changing the playing style, he said: “We are only trying to improve dynamics and introduce some different routines in the team. It is important for the team to have more than one way to play. Only the structure might change, but the way we play must remain the same. It also depends on the opponent, but I am very happy with the players’ behavior because they give us more solutions to think about whether we need to play with 4 or 3 defenders. It is important for the players to understand the game and the team’s needs, and when the players are ready to play in different systems, we will be more competitive.”
He concluded by saying: “We promised from the beginning to fight for titles this season. Of course, some are far away and some are close to us, but we are there and we are still pushing in all competitions. We are very happy with the team’s behavior, especially in the cup competitions. The league is a competition that requires consistency, and we know that we sometimes lacked that. That is why we are there fighting for third place, trying to reach second and chase first. We will keep pushing until the end—this is our mentality. We will see what we can achieve at the end of the season, but we are fighting in all competitions, and this is proof of the team’s value and the players’ ambition.”