DOHA (Qatar): Al Gharafa defender Hector Moreno said that the team must focus on securing the fourth spot in the Qatar Stars League.
Gharafa owe a lot to the Mexican international, who has played at the 2010, 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.
The 32-year-old defender has had stints with Spanish (Real Sociedad and Espanyol), Italian (AS Roma) as well as Dutch (AZ and PSV Eindhoven) clubs.
Excerpts:
What’s your personal take on this unprecedented situation?
Life became different everywhere. Around the world, many people are suffering. Some have lost their dear ones. As footballers, we try to be ready for a comeback because when people watch football, it can help them believe they’re going back to normal life. I think football has that power.
How’s the training programme going on?
We’ve to be ready for the remaining games. The difference is that we’ll go directly into crucial games, so we’ve to reach the required level quickly.
What’re the major changes being made by the coach?
We’re doing the necessary work to be ready for the next game. Maybe the only thing is that we had to take online training classes during the break and that was new to us, but we had to adapt to that situation.
Al Gharafa have been doing well by occupying the fourth position in the table…
For me, I believe it has been a transition season for the club, with a new coach and new players. Of course, we can be better. So far it is acceptable to be in this position, but we’ll fight till the end to be higher.
What’s your target in the league, having bowed out of both Amir Cup and Ooredoo Cup in the quarterfinal stage?
With four games remaining, we must focus on securing fourth spot. It will give us opportunities to play in the Qatar Cup and AFC Champions League. That’s an important target for the club and fans. We wish to be in the top-three bracket as well.
What’re your expectations of the remaining four games?
We’ve very important and tough games. We must be ready to take points from these games. I’m confident we can do it. (Souce: QSL)
