Friday 15 / November / 2024
Muscat: Left with no immediate international engagements, following the Sultanate squad’s failure to advance to the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Oman national team coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro has chalked out a comprehensive training programme for the national team with an eye on the future.
With the 23rd Gulf Cup, originally scheduled for end of 2016, too pushed back by a year, Oman’s next international matches will be the third round of the Asian Cup qualifiers which are tentatively scheduled to start in March next year.
Keeping in mind the need to spot the best talent and build the team for the future, Lopez Caro has planned a series of training camps starting with a brief six-day camp in Muscat.
For the first camp, which runs from June 1 to 6, the Spaniard has called up 26 players, most of whom, with the exception of three, have already represented Oman at various levels.
Briefing the media at the Oman Football Association (OFA) Headquarters on Monday, Lopez Caro said the idea of calling up the group of 26 players for the first camp is to understand the players and their level of skills.
Speaking about the reason for including some players who are already played for the national team, the former Real Madrid coach said: “All of these players are not new. But they have not been part of the team since I took over. I wanted to look at these players and know their qualities before deciding on whether they fit the criteria to join the national squad.”
Among the notable players who previously played for national teams and have now been called up for the camp are, Saad Suhail Al Mukhaini, Ali Salim Al Nahar, Ali Al Busaidi, Azan Al Balushi, Mohammed Al Siyabi, Fahad Al Jalbubi and Abdulrahman Al Ghassani.
Lopez Caro has also called up three new players who have never played for Oman at any level, including two midfielders — Muscat Club’s Abdulaziz Al Hosni and Al Arouba’s Hisham Al Shuaibi, and a forward in Khalil Al Darmaki of Ahli Dubai.
Asked whether he intends to pick any specific number of players from this camp for the national team, he said: “This is camp is aimed at understanding the level of these players. If they are good they will be in the picture. But they will be competing with those who are already there in the team and those who will impress in the remaining camps for the national team places.”
Camp in Europe
Giving the details of the programme for the rest of the year, Lopez Caro said: “We have planned two domestic camps and another one we hope to have in Europe.”
The first of those two domestic camps will be organised in Salalah from July 16 to 26 and the second one in Muscat from July 31 to August 9.
“During the second camp in Muscat, we are also hoping to play two friendly matches but we are yet to finalise the plans,” he said.
Then the team will travel to Europe to camp either in England and Ireland from August 17 to September 6.
“During our camp in Europe we will be playing a friendly match against Northern Ireland on August 31,” Lopez Caro said.
The OFA is also working to arrange two friendly matches during that trip, one before and one after the match against Northern Ireland.
The coach, however, said one friendly against Japan during November has already been confirmed. Before that the team are also likely to play two friendlies against yet to be confirmed opponents in October.
Doors are open
Asked whether captain Ali Al Habsi will be available for the international friendly matches and whether there are any plans to call back star striker Imad Al Hosni and defender Mohammed Shee’ba Al Balushi sometime in the future, he said: “We will be playing those matches during FIFA Days. So Ali (Al Habsi) will be available for the matches.
“And regarding Imad (Al Hosni) and Mohammed Shee’ba, in the first place, they are out because of injuries. Definitely the doors are open for them and any other player. But they have to prove their fitness and show they are good enough to play for the national side.”
Players picked for camp:
Goalkeepers: Anwar Al Alawi (Suwaiq), Ahmed Al Rawahi (Al Nasr), Suleiman Al Bureiki (Saham).
Defenders: Saad Suhail Al Mukhaini (Al Arouba), Mohammed Faraj (Al Nahda), Ali Salem Al Nahar (Dhofar), Mahmoud Mabruk Al Mushaifri (Al Musannah), Nadir Al Maskari (Fanja), Fahmi Rajab Dorbeen (Al Nasr), Nadir Awad (Dhofar), Ali Al Busaidi (Al Nahda), Azan Al Balushi (Al Nasr).
Midfielders: Abdulaziz Al Hosni (Muscat), Omar Al Malki (Seeb), Hisham Al Shuaibi (Al Arouba), Abdulmajid Bait Shammas (Salalah), Mohammed Al Habsi (Muscat), Hamed Al Habsi (Muscat), Omar Al Fazari (Suwaiq), Mazin Al Saadi (Al Nasr), Mohammed Al Siyabi (Al Nahda), Fahad Al Jalbubi (Suwaiq), Mohammed Al Maashari (Fanja).
Forwards: Said Obaid(Al Khabourah), Abdulrahman Al Ghassani (Suwaiq), Khalil Al Darmiki (Ahli Dubai).
