Asian Cup Matchday Review (Group Stage GW3)

The group stage of this year's Asian Cup has culminated, and despite the predictable affair we witnessed in the first two rounds, we finished with some drama and adulation, as debutants Kyrgyzstan qualified for the round of 16 in their debut appearance at the tournament. We also saw a perfect separation of Asia's big four, with Iran, South Korea, Australia and Japan all avoiding one another in the tournament bracket quadrants, meaning there'll have to be a big shock not to witness an elite feel to the latter rounds. For now here are my player, team and talking point of the round just gone.

The Player

There were few shocks to be had in the last round of group matches, but Bahrain's last minute penalty victory over a highly impressive India, to qualify themselves and knock out their opponents, will undoubtedly go down as the most dramatic of moments in the group stage. Amidst the high tension, one man continues to stand in serenity; 21-year-old Bahraini centre half Hamad Al-Shamsan may not be necessarily making the headlines, but his presence has been integral in his country's knockout progression.

Tall, physical, quick on the turn (check out his chasing down of Udanta Singh in the second half) and confident in possession, it's difficult to pick holes in the defender's game. When indeed a long through pass is over hit, you reel in frustration, only to remember the player's fleeting age and experience, illustrating perfectly how he's grown into his starting role. Few expected Al-Shamsan to even see minutes at the Asian Cup, the fact he's played every second so far shows what faith Miroslav Soukup has in him.

Soukup's tenure has been that of growth, and long term planning. If that final minute penalty didn't come, Bahrain could have rest assured they have a strong unit, alongside a raft of young players looking to emulate the outgoing golden generation. In striker Abdullah Yusuf Helal, centre midfielder Mohamed Marhoon and wide man Ali Madan they have the capabilities to threaten the next level over the next cycle. For now though, thanks to Al-Shamsan's calmness in drawing that historic final minute penalty, Bahrain are dreaming of today.

The Team

There have been few teams to demonstrate the consistency and freshness that Kyrgyzstan have shown this tournament. From minute one against China, to their parting victory over Philippines, Alexandr Krestinin has formed a side tactically adept, physically ready and unfazed by the challenge that greets them. Drawing hosts UAE in the last 16 in their debut Asian Cup appearance, you can be sure that the White Falcons will be the one fully confident of causing an upset.

Against China and Korea, Kyrgyzstan set up, as many others do against the elite in Asia, five men at the back with a packed midfield. The difference between the likes of North Korea, Yemen or their neighbours Turkmenistan, who all put up a rearguard action but little else, Kyrgyzstan flexed when they needed to, scaring China early on, before creating a number of chances against Korea, falling short on both occasions by the odd goal. With a last day decider, the challenge was set to fully illustrate their attacking game.

And that they did. A comfortable 3-1 win (which could've been 3-0, but for a late goalkeeping error) was as imperious as any we've seen to date. Fixed in place by the phenomenal Valery Kichin in defence and their central midfield skipper Edgar Bernhardt who has been untouchable at times this tournament, the glory fell to German based Vitalij Lux, who went on to make history as the first Kyrgyz player to ever score a hat-trick in competitive play to fire his side through to the knockout stages. A phenomenal feat in their debut tournament, but this side represents more than a mere plucky underdog.

The Talking Point

Regularly a talking point in this continent's football, but officiating is again on the agenda, after a number of inconsistencies, lapses in judgement and clearly obvious errors shone a light again on the development of referees and the questionable selection criteria in place. Sadly, despite being in the third round of group stage matches, it has continued from a low base; the awarding of UAE's spot kick on day one by Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh unsurprisingly brought forward suggestions of favouring the host in their opening game, but that severely underestimates the usual standard of Asian officiating.

Since then we've seen linesmen standing out of line with the last defender, inconsistencies in bookable offences (Mohammed Saleh's red for Palestine v Syria, came after numerous examples of unpunished thuggery) and a ghost goal ruled out for Lebanon against Qatar after mere contact in the box. But the worst was still to come, as referee Cesar Arturo Ramos of Mexico (that well known Asian nation) took charge of the Group B decider between Australia and Syria.

His unwavering view of Mark Milligan's obvious looking handball was brushed off before "making amends" in strange fashion, as Omar Al-Somah was felled by his own player in the box. The resulting penalty mattered little, as Australia came back for a third time to win the match and book their progression, yet questions were flying in the Asian football fraternity; 1) why are the AFC offering a referee exchange scheme with Mexico/CONCACAF in their prized continental tournament in the first place and 2) when are standards going to improve across the continent?

For those of you who will point to VAR's implementation upon the quarter-final stage, you've come to the wrong person given my considerable views on the subject. Irrespective of the technology being treated as a silver-bullet to those so called clear mistakes, an area even Western Europe is starting to awake to in the last 24 hours, the quality of officiating isn't necessarily improved, rather mirrored in the VAR booth. Examples in Asia have already bared witness, if the refereeing is bad on the field, it's going to be similarly suspect off it. Australia, China and Saudi Arabia have all had mixed results in implementing it in their domestic leagues, so why God for bid is this the right time to bring it in to the international arena?

Asian Cup 2019: Bahrain (Preview)

Ten years ago, Bahrain came within a goal of qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa. Fast forward to the present day, and they’ll be happy they merely managed qualification to the Asian Cup this January. From their considered “Golden Generation”, to a side facing national ridicule, a rebuilding process is well underway to resurrect pride, if not faint hope, that those heady days of success can be replicated in the future.

At the start of qualifying, many strongly tipped Bahrain to progress to the latter stages, to push the established elite for an outside chance of making it to Russia. The appointment of former Argentina boss Sergio Batista bolstered the nation’s hopes, yet within a year Bahrain were out at the first hurdle, bettered by the likes of North Korea and Philippines in what in hindsight can now be considered the “Group of Death.” The generation that had received so many of the plaudits years before were left tarnished and set for the scrap heap.

In retrospect, it looks to have been the perfect kick up the backside Bahraini football needed. It’s never an easy avenue to venture down, but the deconstruction of such a successful side, sometimes bringing in players half the age of their exiting heroes, is a route every prominent team will have to tread at some point.

While individual performances were particularly disappointing, Batista took the lion’s share of the blame (and resulting axe), fitting of course of his somewhat healthy salary. His replacement, a relatively unknown Czech coach Miroslav Soukup stepped into the hot seat, catching his employers’ eye whilst in charge of Yemen, one of the few sides Bahrain picked up points against during Batista’s tumultuous tenure.

His two years in the job to date have been progressive to say the least. Out have gone the familiar faces we all think of when Bahraini football springs to mind; the likes of Ismael Abdullatif, Faouzi Aaish and Abdulla Al-Hazaa. Great names of Asian football down the years, at best fazed out slowly, but generally the established stars were swiftly cut from the new national team set up.

In their place, Soukup has trusted youth, an area in which the coach has a positive track record in, leading his country to the U20 World Cup final back in 2007. The intent was clear in why the BFA plumped for the previously unheralded coach. Bahrain impressed to a degree during their hosting of the U19s Championship in 2016, but by no means can they bank on any sort of like-for-like quality that has exited stage left.

Instead though, there’s been freshness and attacking vibrancy; young untarnished minds ready to be moulded for modern football. Bahrain have quickly stepped into the 21st century; build up play starts from the back, they have energy in wide positions, entrust forward thinking full backs and positional switching that is reminiscent of present day European football.

One player who has benefited most since Soukup took charge has been Abdulla Yusuf Helal. The 25-year-old striker, who went to the last Asian Cup as a promising bench option had failed to kick on either domestically or for the national team since. That’s until the new coach made him the team’s focal point. Towering, physical, with good link up play, Helal brings the best out of those around him, making perfect use of the runs of Abdo Yaser and Jamal Rashid from deep.

His form to end qualification (3 goals in the final stage) engineered a move to Europe, a first for any Bahraini player, to Soukup’s homeland with Bohemians, where the striker has started in the sort of form few could’ve hoped for him a mere two years back.

Hope is that more will follow Helal’s path to Europe. The number of raw products being given opportunities in the national team over the last year is promising given few Asian nations (West Asia in particular) have granted their trust so wilfully. Hamad Al-Shamsan, a ball playing centre back, Sayed Issa, an energetic, overlapping full back, Mohammed Al-Hardan, an impactful centre midfield dynamo and Ali Madan, a right midfielder adept at late runs into the area, are all examples of players who have shown glimmers of talent recently, but the real test will come with the sustainability shown over the coming cycle.

That’s a difficult ask for a fledgling squad that has barely played outside of Bahrain, let alone the midtable reaches of continental football, by no means has it been a smooth ride in terms of results either for Bahrain since Soukup took over. Despite cruising through a modest looking Asian Cup qualification group, they did drop points to Singapore and Taiwan along the way. Goals have continued to flow for Al-Ahmar, however defensively it’s a work in progress that will take time to bed in.

A grasp of hope going into the Asian Cup, is their draw; coming up against Thailand and India, who are both undergoing tumultuous times at present, and the fact they’ve been drawn against the hosts will also be seen as an opportunity. Bahrain produced back-to-back draws against the UAE and Iraq at last winter’s Gulf Cup, a competition where they exited at the semi-final stage to eventual champions Oman. Confidence looks to be thin on the ground in Group A, something many of Bahrain’s players can count on taking to the Emirates after a positive campaign in Saudi Arabia.

They’ve shown before they can mix it at the very highest levels of the Asian game, but a cautionary warning must be heard; they have steadied the ship from their World Cup qualification humiliation yes, but have some way to go to return to the glory days of Abdulatif and Aaish.

Key Men

Head Coach - Miroslav Soukup (CZE)

Former Yemen manager, who left to take over from Sergio Batista after an awful World Cup qualification campaign. Steadied the ship through Asian Cup qualification, producing a younger, more attacking set up. Coached Czech Republic to a U20 World Cup final, where they lost to a Sergio Aguero inspired Argentina side.

Star Player - Abdulla Yusuf Helal

Imposing, physical striker, who looks at home with his back to goal. Become one of the first Bahraini players to break Europe, moving to Bohemians in the Czech Republic over the summer, a league where he’s already started to impress, notching five goals in nine starts thus far.

Under Pressure - Sayed Saeed

One of the old guard that came under criticism during World Cup qualification. On his day he has the ability to inspire the team, but too often misses the spot. The left back or midfielder has remained in the national fold under Soukup but will need to take on greater responsibility as they head to the UAE.

Young Prospect - Hamad Al Shamsan

21-year-old centre back, with a cultured eye for a pass, has accelerated up the national team ladder after promising performances at the Asian Under 19s and the recent Asian Games. Links well with midfield and has the physicality to hold off the attack, his age may be the only thing holding him back from a starting spot at the Asian Cup.

The Sandal for Goalposts Asian Cup 2015 Preview

The Asian Cup in Australia is now only weeks away and over at Sandals for Goalposts we're planning on keeping you up to date with every bit of action down under.

A big thank you for the efforts of Amro Alkado and Tom Daníček, for helping to put together a downloadable preview for the tournament. At present with only a few squads being announced before Christmas, we’ve gone for broadly probable squads but aim to update them in the new year once finalised.

THE SANDALS FOR GOALPOSTS ASIAN CUP PREVIEW 2015 – CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Keep an eye out on the Sandals for Goalposts website and on their twitter page as we endeavour to increase your enjoyment of this great continental tournament.

@Sandal4Goalpost

sandalsforgoalposts.com

Gulf Cup Review (Saudi Arabia 2014)

Qatar completed a memorable year on the pitch as they defied the odds to comeback and beat hosts Saudi Arabia in this month’s Gulf Cup final. With the world’s eye firmly fixed on the ongoing soap opera being the 2018 World Cup, Qatar have quietly gone about their business to terrific effect in 2014, impressing in a number of regional competitions before romping to victory in Riyadh.

The final illustrated the true grit in which Qatar had possessed throughout the tournament, bouncing back from an early Saud Khariri header for the hosts, to level almost immediately through centre back – and captain for the final – Ibrahim Majid in similar fashion. To complete the comeback, a fine winner from Boualem Khoukhi, who’d been kicked off the park all match only to come up with the goods to seal Qatar’s first Gulf Cup title in 10 years.

Khoukhi personally had an eventful tournament, going into the tournament on a wave of hype after an impressive run through the national ranks before, being selected ahead of the injured national hero Sebastian Soria, firmly thrusting the nation’s expectations onto his young shoulders.

In truth, Khoukhi didn’t have the worst of tournaments, but at times such a great step up in class had him looking lost and fragile as a lone forward. After flitting in and out of the team, he finally showed his worth netting in the final match, going on to guide the team home into victory in a special second half showing.

The Qataris were far from unexpected victors, but they battled against injury with influential playmaker Khalfan Ibrahim joining Soria on the treatment table before the tournament, and regular captain Bilal Mohammed being struck down before the final. They also had to come up against the hosts, not only in the opening match of the tournament but also in the final, where they emerged unbeaten over the two ties.

They started with a 1-1 draw against the Saudis in what was a cagey opening contest, the hosts’ nemesis Majid scoring his first of two against the Falcons, before they continued to stutter in subsequent 0-0 draws against the unfancied Yemen and Bahrain. With that they crawled through against the odds, not picking up a single win and only scoring a solitary goal in the group stage.

The semi-finals finally saw Qatar wake up. After going one behind to Oman, an Al-Haydos penalty before half time followed by the introduction of Ali Assadalla turned the contest and their whole tournament around, finally illustrating their attacking capabilities on the counter in a 3-1 win, breezing through to the final stage against their initial group opponents Saudi Arabia.

While Qatar hardly pulled up any trees on their route to the final, Saudi Arabia revelled in their position as hosts, exploding after the cautious 1-1 draw with Qatar, beating Bahrain easily 3-0 before edging past Yemen 1-0. Goal poacher and Asian Player of the Year nominee Nasser Al-Shamrani was at his clinical best, as was eventual MVP winner Nawaf Al-Abid who joined Al-Shamrani on the score sheet in the semi-final classic encounter with UAE.

The Saudis strolled into a 2-0 first-half lead before the Emirati’s hit back with two second half goals sending them seemingly into an enthralling extra-time contest. That was before Salem Al-Dawsai thrashed home a long range effort to send the stadium and nation into raptures, setting the path through to the Gulf Cup final.

As hosts, a final appearance was expected by the nation with what had come before a realistic shot at the title ahead of travelling to the Asian Cup in January. While the talents of Al-Abid have seen him all but cement a place in Saudi’s starting line-up for the competition, a couple of their regular stars failed to light up the final, leaving a disappointing after taste for those home supporters who had attended the final in Riyadh.

Further fan disappoint was felt in the semis, as reigning champions UAE exited earlier than expected. The Emiratis failed to ever remain at their attacking best; while there were clear bright spots through golden boot winner Ahmed Ali Mabkhout, who is starting to look like a real continental star, and through playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, whose genius in the UAE midfield was cut short through injury, UAE overall looked short of their best. UAE will go into 2015 with high hopes, but added consistency is still needed to successfully compete in Australia.

Fellow semi-finalists Oman conversely performed above what was expected after a slow start to their group phase. Back-to-back draws were followed by a spectacular 5-0 victory over Kuwait to make their way through to the semis. A hat-trick through Said Salim stole the headlines, but great work during the tournament from Mohammed Al Seyabi and Raed Ibrahim Saleh, who conjured a stunning volley in the semi-final defeat to Qatar, offer greater hope for the national team going into the new year.

Of those who exited through the group stage it was the familiar tale of frustration and disappointment. Yemen arguably came out of it the best as the lowest rank side in the competition after defying the odds to hold Bahrain and Qatar before only narrowly losing to the hosts. It was a similar story for fellow Group A opponents Bahrain who also picked up two 0-0 draws either side of a comprehensive 3-0 loss to the Saudis.

In Group B it was a much more enthralling contest, as Kuwait, our underdogs for a final push started well, beating Iraq in the final minutes courtesy of a stunning finish from Fahad Al-Enezi before an impressive 2-2 draw with UAE. However, in need of only a point from the final match, the Kuwaitis collapsed going down 5-0 to Oman and finished the tournament with the Gulf’s worst defence.

The biggest disappointment came in the shape of Iraq, who were completely off the boil throughout despite fielding a strong on paper, youthful line-up. They didn’t ever seem to get out of first gear, only registering one point over Oman and finishing bottom of the pile in Group B.

The Gulf Cup grows in popularity with every edition. Its 22nd hasn’t broken with tradition, with some real glimmers of quality being beamed around the world. For observers it also highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the region when it comes to competing for the Asian Cup in January.

While individual brilliance was on show with a number of sensational personal and team goals, attacking flair was often stunted by some cautious and, at times, brutal defensive tactics. It remains to be seen if this year’s Gulf champions Qatar can reassemble with their absent stars and make a real fist of toppling the established order in Australia.

Gulf Cup Preview (Saudi Arabia 2014)

The 22nd Gulf Cup competition kicks off in Riyadh next week with many seeing this as a mini-dress-rehearsal of January’s Asian Cup for 7 of the West Asian qualifiers. Hosts Saudi Arabia, reigning champions UAE alongside an in-form Qatar look the likeliest contenders for this year’s crown, while a recent return to winning ways for Kuwait casts them as dark horses for a shot at upsetting the usual balance. Here’s a preview of each side competing, with the final set to take place on Wednesday 26th November.

Group A

 

Saudi Arabia

 

Hosts with plenty of support in the nation’s capital will be under pressure to clinch a fourth Gulf Cup title and their first in over a decade. Realistically one of three sides that will also be expecting a strong run to the latter stages in the Asian Cup, Saudi Arabia have recorded some erratic results over the past few months including an impressive draw against Uruguay followed by a miserable draw with Lebanon. Immensely experienced across the pitch, a high number of their squad gained rave reviews for their performances for Al-Ittihad and eventual finalists Al-Hilal in this year’s Asian Champions League.

 

Key man; Nasser Al-Shamrani – Predatory centre forward, who has performed emphatically as a penalty box poacher over the past year. At times temperamental and criticised for sly tactics against opponents.

 

Qatar

 

Arguably the most in-form squad at the competition after impressive victories over Uzbekistan and Asian Cup hosts Australia in the last month. Organised line-up with flair on the flanks, they are spurred on by centre forward and skipper Sebastian Soria who has been at the focal point of much of Qatar’s good work. Crashed out miserably of the group stage last year but will be one of the favourites to make it all the way to the final this time around.

 

Key man; Khalfan Ibrahim – Creative winger who causes havoc with his technical ability to twist opposing full backs left and right. Asian player of the year in 2006.

 

Bahrain

 

The least successful of the established nations from the Gulf region. Apart from relative newcomers Yemen, they’re the only nation not to have won the regional title in their 21 previous appearances. Their form has drastically picked up in the past year remaining unbeaten since January, notching up decent draws against Uzbekistan and Qatar. Relatively cautious in their approach, Bahrain have proved tough in defence but lacking in attack.

 

Key man; Ismail Abdulatif – One of Bahrain’s greatest attacking products who has recently moved to the Saudi Pro League. Scorer of the winning goal that sent Bahrain to their World Cup playoff in 2010.

 

Yemen

 

The only side in the Gulf Cup competition not to have qualified for January’s Asian Cup, Yemen are unsurprisingly considerable underdogs for glory in Riyadh. Ranked below the likes of Guam and Bangladesh in recent FIFA World Rankings many will be writing them off causing a stir in the group stage. Despite losing every Gulf Cup group match last year without scoring, an upturn in performances since then has seen them push some established sides in recent friendlies including a narrow 3-2 defeat and draw against Iraq.

 

Key man; Ayman Al-Hargi – Raw attacking talent who holds the hope of the nation’s regional progress. For someone so young, he’s already been stationed at a number clubs across the Gulf region, most recently in Bahrain.

Group B

 

United Arab Emirates

 

Reigning champions who are piggy backing on the success of their domestic league in their hope of Gulf Cup retention and decent progress in January’s Asian Cup. Impressively tight defensively, the Emirati national side has struggled for goals of late but are starting to produce a couple of notable young striking talents in the form of Ahmed Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Ismail who impressed at the 2012 Olympics. UAE have only won one of their last seven friendly matches this year, frustratingly drawing four in a row at the end of the summer.

 

Key man; Omar Abdulrahman – Technically gifted playmaker who is imperative to any attacking exploits UAE can garner. Struggling to be fit to make the competition with a knee injury that kept him out of the October internationals.

 

Iraq

 

One of the youngest squads in the competition, Iraq are building on their success at the last U20 World Cup which saw them reach the semi-finals. Their talents stretch across the globe with players playing in England, Sweden and various West Asian leagues. One of their strongest aspects is the attacking tandem of youngster Mohannad Abdul-Raheem and veteran Younis Mahmoud. Mahmoud remains Iraq’s most likely route to goal despite being without a club for over a year. Troubles in organising friendly competition in the last year has seen them go 7 months without a victory.

 

Key man; Ali Adnan – Attack minded left back who rose to prominence at the Under-20 World Cup before moving to Turkey with Rizespor. Famed for accurate delivery and direct attempts from dead ball situations.

 

Oman

 

After being one of West Asia’s leading lights a few years back, Oman have struggled in the run up to this competition. Oman’s golden period in the Gulf Cup came in the last decade where they reached the final three times in succession and clinched the trophy as hosts in 2009, since then they’ve struggled to make a real impact in the early stages. Defeats to two leading lights of World football; Uruguay and Costa Rica in recent months are hardly disastrous signs, however some have questioned why they haven’t tested themselves against similar strength sides in their Gulf Cup preparation.

 

Key man; Ali Al-Habsi – Legendary goalkeeper who had a short stint in the English Premier League with Wigan Athletic remains the only prominent overseas based player in the squad. Famed for his exceptional penalty saving abilities.

 

Kuwait

 

Lowly ranked in comparison to their competitors, it would be foolish to write off the Gulf Cup’s most successful nation with their domestic game continuing to succeed on the continent. Champions for three years running, Kuwaiti clubs Al-Kuwait and Al-Qadsia have dominated the AFC Cup scene, with much of their success being built around players who have broken through to the national team picture. After excelling for three decades in the Gulf Cup, Kuwait have only won one of the last seven editions of the competition, but will be looking to make at least the semi-finals this time around.

Key man; Bader Al-Mutawa – Experienced goal scorer who was instrumental in Al-Qadsia’s AFC Cup triumph this season, often provides his greatest threat drifting in from the flanks.

AFC International Week Focus (September)

We’re now two months on from the World Cup final in Brazil and we return for another international cycle starting with the September internationals. While Africa looks on at the AFCON qualifiers taking place over the next few months, Asia are preparing themselves for upcoming Asian Games, Gulf Cup and Asian Cup competitions coming over the horizon. Here's a look at how the Asian Cup qualified sides have done this international period and which sides still need to make improvements ahead of Australia 2015.

Good Week

Uzbekistan were the clear victors in Asia over the international break, with back to back victories over Jordan and New Zealand. Many would argue that they weren’t the stiffest of opponents, with both matches taking place at home, but recording two goal victories over two similarly matched teams isn’t to be scoffed at. The usual suspects in the Uzbek line-up turned in great displays, a brace from Akhmedov and another from Djeparov sealed the 3-1 win over the All Whites.

Another side to have kept an unbeaten record during the week at home was China PR, who recorded a win and a draw over the week. A win over Kuwait followed up with a draw against Jordan are solid results to take into their remaining preparation. Bahrain, likewise collected a win over Kuwait as they prepare for November’s Gulf Cup, where their opponents will likely be a rival for a semi or even final place.

After a dismal World Cup display (in fairness not out of keeping of the rest of Asia), new ground was being tread by Korea Republic as they tried to kick on into a new international cycle. After announcing Uli Stielike as their new head coach last week, Korea recorded an impressive victory led by returning striker Lee Dong-Guk against Venezuela before being edged by a superior Uruguay side. Stielike will take charge of his first match when the October internationals roll around, but he will have been relatively happy with what he saw this week.

Average Week

As average goes, three consecutive draws in a week is pretty stable. However, considering the location of the matches and the opposition they faced the United Arab Emirates will be happy with their period of matches. Their tour took them across Europe to face Norway, Lithuania and Paraguay, and to come back only to have conceded one goal illustrates the standard in which they have been playing at over the last year.

Also on the build are Australia who impressed without getting the results in Brazil, with much of the same being seen again from Postecoglou’s men this week. A loss to an impressive Belgium was expected, while an exciting 3-2 loss to Saudi Arabia in London at the very least avoided an unenviable all time consecutive loss record. There were little tweaks on show, but the final product is still a way away. On the other side, Saudi Arabia have a stable side who struggled defensively against the Australians. They could be forgiven to be playing in an unfamiliar environment, considering the amount of European based talent Australia had at their disposal, but they will have been impressed with their attacking profits.

An away defeat at Uzbekistan illustrates where Jordan are right now within the Asian rankings. An Asian Cup title is a way off at the moment, but a solid showing is necessary to appease their public. A follow up draw with China in Harbin was more impressive and showed what the fans wanted from their team. Qatar equally had an erratic week, after holding AFCON 2015 hosts Morocco to a 0-0 draw in Casablanca they lost 2-0 at home to Peru. The opposition were a stern test, but question marks will remain over their attack going into the Gulf Cup.

Palestine go into the Asian Cup as the lowest rank side and will be happy enough to just be there after a whirlwind few years. That being said a hammering at the hands of Myanmar, who they had clearly progressed further than in the AFC Challenge Cup three months ago wasn’t promising. A 7-3 (after extra time) win over Chinese Taipei gave them some hope, but the standard of opposition is clearly going to step up in Australia. A further note of disappoint was the news that Jamal Mahmoud has stepped down as head coach only months after leading Palestine to Challenge Cup glory.

Bad Week

It’s all change at Japan but the same old problems persist. Mexican Javier Aguirre has stepped into Alberto Zaccheroni’s vacant managerial shoes and has immediately stamped his imprint on the side. Reverting to a 433 with a few unfamiliar names, Japan were soundly beaten by Uruguay before scraping a draw with Venezuela. Both matches illustrated the lack of defensive cohesion that they still suffer from, with their best CB prospect Masato Morishige playing in an unfamiliar holding midfield role.

Back to back defeats against China and Bahrain will not do the confidence of Kuwait any good and just shows their turnaround in fortunes since last year, when they pipped Bahrain in September; with a reasonably strong group in the Gulf Cup they could well struggle. One of their opponents in the competition will be Oman who were outclassed by Ireland in Dublin early in the week. It was a shame they hadn’t organised a second friendly against a similar strength side to themselves ahead of the Gulf Cup, something that isn't being carried over to October where they play Costa Rica and Uruguay.

Iraq were in a similar predicament, after only playing one friendly this week; a 2-0 loss to Peru in Dubai. Iraq have had to piggyback on their neighbour organisations to arrange friendlies in the last decade due to security worries of hosting internationals in their own country. Similar problems were felt by Korea DPR who haven’t played an official friendly since February and will continue to struggle ahead of January to organise worthwhile preperation. Iran have less excuses after a solid showing at the World Cup, but also failed to organise a friendly over the international period. Focus has been firmly fixed on the managerial future of Carlos Queiroz, his soap opera involving the IFF could finally be coming to an end after hearing some promising sounds coming out of both camps in the last week.