‘Work still to be done’ before World Cup, Renard says

JEDDAH: There is still work to be done by the Saudi national team before the FIFA World Cup, head coach Herve Renard said during a pre-match press conference ahead of the team’s friendly match against Egypt on Friday.
“Definitely, we still have a lot of work ahead, especially since we are set to face strong opponents like Spain and Uruguay, in addition to Cape Verde,” he said on Thursday night at King Abdullah Sports City.
Renard added that preparations for the match against Egypt are going well. “The national team will face two important tests against Egypt and then Serbia, with the aim of assessing the technical and physical readiness of the players,” he said.
“We are delighted to play against Egypt. Our goal is to deliver a strong performance before heading into another friendly against Serbia as part of our final preparations.
“We have a core squad of 25 players, along with another group we are monitoring closely. Our ambition is to show a much better version of ourselves at the World Cup in order to compete for an advanced position,” he added.
Renard highlighted the importance of the team’s latest training camp, adding that it represents the final stage of preparations before the World Cup next summer.
The French coach responded to recent criticism, and said he feels proud to have led the Saudi national team to qualify for the World Cup twice, but that the circumstances of the players’ participation in the league, especially in the attacking position, make it difficult to compete against major teams.
He ended his remarks by highlighting the team’s mix of experience and youth: “I am not worried about the experience factor. We have six to seven players with great experience, along with young players, which gives us a good balance before the World Cup.”