Nothing is impossible in football…and Kuzmin is a stubborn coach who loves a challenge

The UAE national team is performing its first training in Abu Dhabi, today, at the beginning of the second phase of the preparation programme, after moving its internal camp from Dubai following the conclusion of the first phase of the programme, in preparation for the upcoming first-leg match. The technical staff of the national team intensified its technical preparations for the players during the first phase of the preparation programme, which was held in Dubai and concluded yesterday, during which the players underwent several training sessions at Al Maktoum Stadium in Al Nasr Club, as the players continued to perform daily training with great enthusiasm and great activity, noting that the latest national team roster included 26 players.

The national coach and technical analyst, Eid Barot, confirmed that the national football team has no choice but to win against its Iraqi counterpart, next Thursday, in the first leg of the Asian playoff qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup finals, considering that the return match against the “Mesopotamian Lions” in the Iraqi city of Basra will be difficult, on the 18th of this month, stressing that the team’s chance to qualify for the World Cup still exists, and the team must believe in its chances of reaching the World Cup, Especially since nothing is impossible in the world of football.

Barot described the “White” coach, the Romanian Olario Cosmin, as a stubborn coach who loves challenge and adventure, and that the options before him are many in terms of the abundance of players capable of making a difference in the team’s ranks.

Eid Barot told Emirates Al-Youm: “The team needs success during its two upcoming confrontations against Iraq,” adding that “the process of continuous changes in the team is not an easy matter, and therefore the team needs to increase the number of matches that the players play with each other,” stressing that he does not offer excuses but speaks realistically based on the current situation.

He pointed out that “the national team needs stability in the lineup and players for a long period, as well as stability in the technical staff,” describing the continuous changes as a double-edged sword.

Regarding the cards available to coach Cosmin that he can bet on during the two Iraq matches, Eid Barot confirmed that “the options in front of Cosmin are excellent and diverse, as they combine elements of experience and young faces,” noting that “the players have so far played seven matches in the ADNOC Professional League with an excellent and high technical format, so the issue of stability is the most important matter for the team at this stage.”

Regarding the extent to which the team’s technical staff, led by Kuzmin, was able to restore confidence to the players themselves after the team wasted a historic opportunity to qualify for the World Cup directly through the final Asian playoff, Barot said: “I think that Kuzmin is the type of coach who has a special style in dealing with the players, preparing them and encouraging them, and he follows a policy of high competition between the players themselves, and his personality as a coach in recent years gives the impression that he has great potential in terms of motivation and personality, and does not give up in front of the opponent easily, because he does not throw away the white handkerchief easily. “He is stubborn and loves challenge and adventure in particular.”

Eid Barot:

• Al-Abyad has no choice but to win over Iraq, given the difficulty of the return match.

• The team needs to stabilize its lineup and players for a long time.

• Kuzmin has great potential in terms of motivation and personality, and does not give in to an opponent easily.