MUSCAT: With the Gulf Cup sitting in their trophy cabinet and an unbeaten record so far in 2018, Pim Verbeek’s Oman will go into the finals of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 in a confident frame of mind. The west Asian nation will be making their fourth appearance at the continental championship, but the veteran Dutchman knows that his team’s success in last year’s hotly-contested regional tournament can help take his team to the next level in the UAE in January.
“It gives confidence to the players, to the selection, not only the first XI but all the players, that we can beat teams, good teams,” Verbeek told the-AFC.com of the impact of his side’s Gulf Cup triumph. “We’re back at the front in the Gulf and now the next step is to do that at the Asian level.”
Verbeek’s side overcame the odds to lift the Gulf Cup in Kuwait City for just the second time in the country’s history, winning their group ahead of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait before defeating Bahrain in the semifinals.
A penalty shootout victory over the UAE in the final gave Oman the title eight years after the only other success in the competition for a nation that had previously been seen as the whipping boys of the region.
Times, though, are changing for the Omanis and Verbeek wants his players to embrace the increased expectations being placed on his team as they prepare to take on Japan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan in Group F of the AFC Asian Cup.
“We can compete with all of the West Asian teams, we showed that at the Gulf Cup and the next step is to show that at the Asian Cup. That’s our target,” said Verbeek. “It gives us confidence that we can do a job, the confidence that we can beat teams.
“We played some good friendly matches against Jordan, Syria and Bahrain, we played Ecuador and we haven’t lost a game. In 2018 we haven’t lost one match and that says enough. We’ve played seven or eight games and we haven’t lost, so we have the confidence.
“On the other hand, the expectations from the people in Oman are growing also, and that’s good also because I think we deserve that. The players have to deal with that expectation, and that’s the next step also.
“We also have to improve mentally. We went into the Gulf Cup with no expectations but we’re going into the Asian Cup and people are thinking we can easily go into the next round. We have to deal with the mental side of things, but we still have time and so far we’re doing very well.”
Oman open their Group F campaign – and that quest for a place in the knockout rounds for the first time after three group stage exits – against Uzbekistan on January 9 in Sharjah before taking on Japan in Abu Dhabi four days later. They finish their group stage commitments on January 17 against Turkmenistan.
“We didn’t go with any expectation into the draw because we knew we were in Pot 3 and in Pot 1 and 2 we knew there would be good teams, that was clear to us,” said Verbeek. “I like to play Japan, they’re one of the best teams and they play combination football at a very high level and that will be a very interesting game.
“Uzbekistan are a tough team who are well organised, strong physically and experienced because every time they are in the final 10 teams to try to qualify for the World Cup, so they have more experience that Oman has. But that’s also a good opportunity.
“Turkmenistan is a team that’s a little unknown in Asia and with us, so we knew we would have tough teams to face, whether it’s Iran or Australia or Korea Republic. It’s also not easy to have Qatar or Syria or Jordan in your group. They have good organisation, good preparation and, when you compare with Oman, they have good leagues.
“But we have to deal with that and that’s why we have a long training camp, to be ready for that first game against Uzbekistan.”
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