AlnDuhail First Football Team French Head Coach Christophe Galtier emphasized the importance of next Saturday’s match versus Al Sadd in the Qatar Cup final, which will be held at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Al Sadd Club. He stressed the necessity of winning this prestigious cup during his statements at the pre-match press conference held this morning.
Galtier began his statements by saying: “It is an important match, the final against Al Sadd, the league champions this season. If my team is ready and successful in this match, we will strive to win. We played the Amir Cup match, and I believe the players are fully prepared. We trust our players and are ready for all scenarios if the match extends to extra time or penalties. Al Sadd is a strong team, as I mentioned, but we are prepared to compete, win, and fight while delivering the expected performance.”
Galtier added: “As I mentioned weeks ago when Al Sadd won the league title, it was Al Sadd who won the league, not Al Duhail who lost. This is football, and I know that as a coach. However, I learned that some here are saying that we declined in the second leg of the season. But I assure you that we won 25 points in the first leg and the same in the second. Three rounds before the end, we were at the top, but we surprisingly lost to Al Shamal. However, I believe that Al Sadd’l level improved, and they achieved victory after victory until they reached the title. This is the logical response to what some are saying about the team’s decline in the second leg and the team losing the league title.”
Galtier continued: “I agree with everyone that we have high-level and quality players, but playing at this level is not as easy as expected. With successive matches, there will certainly be fluctuations in the levels of some players, which necessitates intervention for change. However, I am confident that the team is fully prepared for this competition, not for the sake of revenge for losing the league, but because we want to win the cup. I have heard a lot about the end of my contract, and I know that the club management is not satisfied with the team results and losing the league. We must accept all matters, but this is not the right time to talk about my future. I am the only one who can talk about my future.”
All the players and the technical staff want to win the title, and for that, we must provide what helps us win the title. The Qatar Cup final will not be easy, as I mentioned, but I have complete confidence in the players. All the players are ready for the match.
Galtier concluded his remarks, commenting on the previous match incident with player Hakim Ziyech: “Regarding what happened from Ziyech’s side during the Al Gharafa match, I think all players get angry when they are substituted. I know Ziyech well from his previous time in Europe, and I know his nature well. Indeed, the situation was momentary, and the player apologized after the end of the match, and I accepted his apology, and the matter ended there.
