Asian Cup: UAE coach praises 'dynamic, aggressive and compact' Indian team

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Asian Cup: UAE coach praises dynamic, aggressive and compact Indian team
Indian players acknowledge their fans after their 2-0 defeat to hosts UAE (AFP)

Abu Dhabi - The coach hoped the fans will continue to support the team in the next matches

By Ashwani Kumar

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Published: Fri 11 Jan 2019, 8:27 PM

Last updated: Fri 11 Jan 2019, 10:32 PM

The UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni is a relieved man. There were murmurs of the Italian facing the axe after the disappointing 1-1 draw with Bahrain in the Asian Cup opening match. The UAE FA issued a clarification that the coach was staying put and now the 2-0 result has silenced the 'quit' calls.
"I thank the federation for their support. We have compensated for the drawn match against Bahrain," the Italian said at the post-match press conference. 
"I am satisfied to have made the UAE fans happy. We didn't start well in the game as we couldn't cope with the speed of Indian players. The Indians were very dynamic, aggressive and compact. The Indians were also good on counter attack and I am sure they will be better side in the next tournament."
Zaccheroni said he was unhappy with the open space in the midfield and plugged the holes at the start of the second half.
"The UAE suffered in the first half but the players remained positive. I made some changes in the second half and it made the difference in our performance. We kept possession, created more chances and were focused on attack. At the end, we were able to score the second goal. The UAE players displayed great spirit and will power," he said.
Zaccheroni said there were few grey areas in defensive structure but there were many positives as well. 
"We had issues as the defence line wasn't very good. But we played well generally. We don't have time to correct all our mistakes. I congratulate our players, but we need to work on many areas. The players have shown maturity. We want to move from one level to another. Importantly, we have managed to get the three points."
Indeed, the UAE have moved from third to top spot in the points table.
The coach hoped the fans will continue to support the team in the next matches.
"I apologise to the fans for the first game and thank them for showing up in big numbers. I hope the UAE will get better and better. We need to get continued support from the fans," Zaccheroni added.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com
 


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