TOKYO: Saudi Arabia manager Hervé Renard says Japan’s qualification for the World Cup will not affect how either team plays when they meet on Tuesday at Saitama Stadium just north of Tokyo.
Japan qualified for next year’s World Cup with a 2-0 victory over Bahrain on Thursday and remained top of Group C with 19 points from seven games. Australia is second with 10 points followed by Saudi Arabia with nine.
“We still have to play Japan tomorrow, then go to Bahrain and to receive Australia for the last game, so it’s a tough sprint for the second position,” Renard said at a press conference on Monday held in Saitama Stadium near Tokyo. "You always have to adapt yourself to the situation, to be strong and to fight to get the direct qualification. We know Japan are disciplined, we know their philosophy, and there is no doubt they can play this game against us at 100 percent. We are playing against the best team in Asia, so we will be ready to compete on the field tomorrow.”
Goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aghidi said the Saudi squad have had a positive few days in Japan: “We have a good a couple of days here in Japan and everything has been positive. I would like to thank the Japanese for their warm welcome for the team here and we would like to congratulate them on securing their spot in the World Cup finals. Tomorrow's game is a difficult game for both teams and hopefully we can manage to get the three points.”
Renard said the previous game against China, which Saudi Arabia won 1-0 was “a good game” but admitted his team was not efficient enough. “We didn't score a lot of goals, but we got a lot of opportunities,” he said.
Renard noted that the squad had suffered some injuries, and the demands of Ramadan had also affected some players, but he emphasized, he was not looking for excuses. “Yes, it's true we have some injured players, but this is part of football where we must adapt ourselves. Concerning getting cramp during Ramadan, it is never easy for all the players, but they must adapt themselves. So, we must be ready tomorrow because tomorrow we'll have to run a lot.”
Al-Aghidi said his role as a goalkeeper was just to help the team: “My aim is always to help my national team, and this is why I wanted to have more playing time, and this is the place I want to be. As a goalkeeper, it's very important to have more playing time. I'm ready to play a key role for my team tomorrow. I will do my best to help my fellow players during the game to get the result that we have been working for.”
Renard was asked about Japan’s ambition to win the World Cup by 2050.
“It's normal when you have a big ambition,” he replied. “To win the World Cup is a very big ambition, but they can do this in the future, I'm sure, because they have so many quality players. We are playing against a very strong team, so we need to be ready to have a tough game. But in football you must believe in yourself.”
