CHOFU, Japan, 4 June — Saudi Arabia’s national team is making intense preparations to show a better performance in the next World Cup matches and polish their image following the 8-0 thrashing by Germany in their opening encounter on Saturday.
Informed sources told Arab News that Saudi coach Nasir Al-Jowhar, widely criticized for the debacle, was likely to ring changes to strengthen the team to face Cameroon on June 6 and Ireland on June 11.
The sources said Al-Jowhar will bring in Abdullah Al-Jamaan, Mansour Al-Thaqafi, Abdul Aziz Al-Khathran and Ibrahim Al-Suwaid in placement of Abdullah Al-Waked, Hasan Al-Yami, Hussein Abdul Ghani and Khamees Al-Owairan.
Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, yesterday told the Saudi players to work hard to show an impressive performance in the coming matches, upholding the Kingdom’s image. He was talking on telephone to Prince Nawaf ibn Faisal, head of the Kingdom’s delegation to the World Cup finals.
Saudi captain Sami Al Jaber, who is reportedly in a race against time to be fit for Thursday’s Group E clash with Cameroon after picking up a right ankle injury, did not attend a training session in Yokohama on Sunday.
The 29-year-old striker, who played in both the 1994 and 1998 finals scoring a penalty in each one, has been unable to train since picking up the injury during the match with Germany.
"Doctors prognose that he will be all right before Thursday but he will undergo full medical treatment to make sure he is 100 percent," a team official said.
Other players who did not turn up for training on Sunday were Al-Waked, goalkeeper Muhammad Al-Daie, Abdullah Suleiman and Al-Yami.
Winfried Schafer, coach of Cameroon, expects a backlash from Saudi Arabia after their 8-0 defeat, but insists that the African champions are ready to face the smarting Saudis.
"Things will be different on Thursday against Saudi Arabia," he said. "We should not underestimate Saudi Arabia. They will be looking to make up for their opening defeat and will come out fighting.
"You can’t judge them on their match against the Germans and I think they will try to play more aggressively — it won’t be the same kind of match as theirs was on Saturday," he added.
"We have to put pressure on them as the Germans did, attack very early, go inside the box, create many chances, and also play a lot more aggressively and focus on finishing. That’s more important," said Schafer.
Cameroon were disappointed to let Ireland come back into their opening match and snatch a 1-1 draw. Schafter blamed fatigue.
"First of all, it was difficult for us to perform better than we did against Ireland because of the delay we had before our arrival in Japan," said the Cameroon coach.
"But the problem was in order to be successful you have to be 100 fit. Teams like Argentina and England, they were here for five days more and they are probably a little bit fitter than we are.
"But our team has achieved a turning point and I’m very optimistic and I’m very confident that our team will have a much better game against Saudi Arabia," he added. Defender Bill Tchato, who plays in France with Montpellier, said: "Of course we wanted three points for a win, but we are looking forward to the next match against Saudi Arabia. We really want to win and get three points."
Saudi viewer likens German goals to ‘shots in head’
Reflecting the emotional fervor over Germany’s defeat of Saudi Arabia in World Cup play, a young Saudi television viewer likened the eight German goals to "eight bullets in the head".
Salmah El Alamy made the emotional remarks as part of a special World Cup phone-in program aired early yesterday by the Qatari-based Jazeera satellite channel.
"We should never play down the significance of this devastating defeat ... for it is like directing eight bullets in the head," she said. "I have been in deep shock ever since."
Other Saudi viewers said officials should not use the occasion to "massacre" the Saudi goalkeeper or members of his team.
The French coach of the Qatari national football team said people have a "short memory", as the same Saudi keeper was the hero of the recent Gulf competition where Saudi Arabia clinched its title. He also advised his Saudi counterpart to play "defensive" in the remaining encounters in the World Cup.
Asked by another extremely emotional Saudi viewer what would happen in Egypt if its national team was defeated by eight goals to nil in such a competition, former Egyptian national team captain Magdy Abdel Ghani said the Egyptian soccer federation would be immediately dissolved and all national team players discharged.
"This match result is the responsibility of the coach who failed to shape up his team psychologically for this encounter with the Germans," Abdel Ghany noted. "The defeat is the responsibility of all, the coach and the players as well as the substitute players".
