Brian Clough once remarked that "Players lose you games, not tactics. There's so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes".
I think those words are worth dwelling on in the lead up to the Asian Cup final. Have Iraq and Saudi Arabia reached the final through revolutionary formations or tactical innovation? Or have they just had some of the best players in the tournament playing at, or near, peak performance. Personally I'd go with the latter. Jorvan Vieira inherited his team 5 weeks before the tournament started... No acclimatisation camps for this group. Getting the squad together safely for the tournament presented a challenge in itself…none of the players (yet) ply their trade in the big leagues of Europe instead they are spread across the Middle Eastern leagues and Cyprus.
What both teams have shown on the way to the final is resilience, character, team spirit by the bucket load but most importantly and here’s where Ol Big Ed’s words still ring a true as ever….they have had some of the standout individual performers of the whole tournament. In short the players have won them their place in the final…not the tactics.
In midfield Iraq has two of the standout players of the tournament in that position in Huwar Mullah Mohammed and Nashat Akram…the latter displaying a level of creative control in midfield few other players have been able to demonstrate and his delivery from set pieces has been first class and resulted in key goals for his team. Up front Younis Mahmoud, the captain, has led by example playing the lone strikers role in exemplary fashion, holding the ball up expertly, consistently finding space to receive the ball despite being outnumbered by defenders and finding space to score goals and be a constant threat. My personal favourites have been the two marauding shaven headed full backs Bassam Abbas and Jasim Mohammed Gholam who would strike fear into any wide man but can play a bit as well. In goal Noor Sabri has only conceded two goals from open play in five games and made the critical save in the penalty shoot out against Korea.
Saudi Arabia for me has the player of the tournament in Yasser Al Qhatani... Everytime this guy plays he impresses me with his movement, awareness and eye for goal…he really is the complete package. His goal against Indonesia was the perfect example of the art of a timed jump and header from a centre forward. At the back Kamil Al Mousa has been as good as anyone and in midfield Abdulrahman Al Qhatani has been ever present and ever dangerous. Interestingly Saudi Arabia took the (at the time remarkable) decision to leave Hamad Al-Montashari out of the squad. At the time an un-named Saudi official was quoted as saying “We just preferred other players who are better,"…better than the 2005 Asian Player of The Year and 2006 Arab Player of The Year? You bet. Whether the decision was simply form based or possibly attitude based it’s been fully vindicated as the Saudis stand on the brink of their fourth Asian Cup success. Saudi Arabia have ridden their luck against Uzbekistan in the quarter final especially and dug deep for an injury time winner against Indonesia in the group stages and to get the winning goal in the semi against Japan after twice being pegged back.
For me the final of the Asian Cup will pit the two sides that have shown the best form consistently in the tournament and on display we will see many of the standout individuals of the tournament. The pre-game talk should be about the players and skills on display…not the tactics. Just what a final should be about. Cloughie would have loved it.
It promises to be a cracker.
I think those words are worth dwelling on in the lead up to the Asian Cup final. Have Iraq and Saudi Arabia reached the final through revolutionary formations or tactical innovation? Or have they just had some of the best players in the tournament playing at, or near, peak performance. Personally I'd go with the latter. Jorvan Vieira inherited his team 5 weeks before the tournament started... No acclimatisation camps for this group. Getting the squad together safely for the tournament presented a challenge in itself…none of the players (yet) ply their trade in the big leagues of Europe instead they are spread across the Middle Eastern leagues and Cyprus.
What both teams have shown on the way to the final is resilience, character, team spirit by the bucket load but most importantly and here’s where Ol Big Ed’s words still ring a true as ever….they have had some of the standout individual performers of the whole tournament. In short the players have won them their place in the final…not the tactics.
In midfield Iraq has two of the standout players of the tournament in that position in Huwar Mullah Mohammed and Nashat Akram…the latter displaying a level of creative control in midfield few other players have been able to demonstrate and his delivery from set pieces has been first class and resulted in key goals for his team. Up front Younis Mahmoud, the captain, has led by example playing the lone strikers role in exemplary fashion, holding the ball up expertly, consistently finding space to receive the ball despite being outnumbered by defenders and finding space to score goals and be a constant threat. My personal favourites have been the two marauding shaven headed full backs Bassam Abbas and Jasim Mohammed Gholam who would strike fear into any wide man but can play a bit as well. In goal Noor Sabri has only conceded two goals from open play in five games and made the critical save in the penalty shoot out against Korea.
Saudi Arabia for me has the player of the tournament in Yasser Al Qhatani... Everytime this guy plays he impresses me with his movement, awareness and eye for goal…he really is the complete package. His goal against Indonesia was the perfect example of the art of a timed jump and header from a centre forward. At the back Kamil Al Mousa has been as good as anyone and in midfield Abdulrahman Al Qhatani has been ever present and ever dangerous. Interestingly Saudi Arabia took the (at the time remarkable) decision to leave Hamad Al-Montashari out of the squad. At the time an un-named Saudi official was quoted as saying “We just preferred other players who are better,"…better than the 2005 Asian Player of The Year and 2006 Arab Player of The Year? You bet. Whether the decision was simply form based or possibly attitude based it’s been fully vindicated as the Saudis stand on the brink of their fourth Asian Cup success. Saudi Arabia have ridden their luck against Uzbekistan in the quarter final especially and dug deep for an injury time winner against Indonesia in the group stages and to get the winning goal in the semi against Japan after twice being pegged back.
For me the final of the Asian Cup will pit the two sides that have shown the best form consistently in the tournament and on display we will see many of the standout individuals of the tournament. The pre-game talk should be about the players and skills on display…not the tactics. Just what a final should be about. Cloughie would have loved it.
It promises to be a cracker.
