Kuzmin’s monitoring of players in the league is not enough

The former national football team coach and technical analyst, Dr. Abdullah Misfer, stressed that the Al-Abyad technical staff, led by Romanian Olario Cosmin, following up on the players during the ADNOC Professional League matches is not enough to prepare the team for the upcoming matches, especially at the level of the 2027 Asian Cup finals, as well as the qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup.

He told «Emirates Today»: “Continuity in the next stage is a very important issue for the team, which is still in the experimentation phase and giving opportunities to the players, and so far there is no stability on a specific list that includes 11 or 13 players who constitute the basic elements of the team, so it is better to continue the process of preparing the team for future benefits.”

It is noteworthy that there are no official participations expected for the team, after it recently concluded its participation in the 2025 Arab Cup, which was held in Doha, and was unable to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

Mesfer revealed that during the period of Slovenian coach Strjko Katanic’s leadership of the national team in 2009, he had previously proposed the idea of ​​having a reserve team for the first team, other than the Olympic team, similar to the large teams that have more than one team that can participate in official competitions.

At the same time, he stressed the importance of the team not stopping, and the necessity of continuity in the preparation process, stressing the importance of Cosmin communicating with the players through short preparation camps, and playing friendly matches during any pauses that may occur, especially during “FIFA days.”

He considered that these periods represent an opportunity for Kuzmin to present new ideas and try out new players, describing this as an important opportunity for experimentation and evaluation.

Mesfer considered that “the team’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals, and also the failure to win the 2025 Arab Cup, is not the end,” stressing that “the team needs to correct the mistakes that accompanied its participation in the past period, and to continue working during the next stage.”

Mesfer pointed out that there are players who have recently obtained Emirati citizenship, and that the law allows them to participate with the national team and that the conditions of the International Federation of Football Associations apply to them. He considered that it is better to involve these players in friendly matches to determine their potential closely, and to include them with the national team with the aim of achieving good contact, since contact at the level of national teams, especially continental, is completely different from contact in local competitions.

He explained: “There are four or five players who have recently obtained Emirati citizenship. They deserve to participate with the national team during the next stage, and they need to be given the opportunity to be with the national team.”

He added: “In the coming period, the team needs to participate in many friendly tournaments. There are countries such as Japan and South Korea that organize friendly tournaments, and there are teams in Europe that organize friendly tournaments as well. Therefore, the team is supposed to participate in such events as long as they are held on (FIFA Days), so as not to lose any opportunity for good preparation.”

Mesfer stressed that there are good elements of players who have emerged in the UAE League and deserve to be with the national team during the next stage, and they can make the required addition, pointing out that the national team is still suffering from the lack of an outspoken striker and top scorer player.

. It is necessary for Kuzmin to communicate with the players, through short preparation camps and friendly matches.