The Peruvian a href="https://www.infobae.com/tag/seleccion-peruana/" rel="noopener noreferrer" national team won their ticket to the pre-World Cup playoff in Qatar 2022 after beating Paraguay on the last date of the South American Qualifiers. It was a victory at the National Stadium that allowed him to finish fifth and wait for the match between Australia and the United Arab Emirates. The Emirati coach, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, spoke about these matches and how his team arrives.
“We are looking forward to it. There are two months left to prepare for the match against Australia and hopefully we can reach one more match (Peru) to enter the World Cup. We know that it is difficult, there are differences in terms of the physical, but we are confident that we can compete, which would be important,” the coach commented in an interview for 'Super Mitre Deportivo'.
He also noted that his intention is to achieve an important event for that country, although it will depend on the support given to him by the leaders of the United Arab Emirates Football Association (UAEFA). “My idea is to be able to make history and for that I need the support of the federation and the players to change some vices that can help us in the future, also seeing the next generation,” he said.
The Argentine strategist dreams of qualifying for the World Cup. Moreover, taking into account all the inconveniences they had to go through to get to these instances. “It reveals me to lead a world cup and make history with this selection. When this opportunity arose, one analyzes the cons and the benefits it could have. Emirates was third, had come from losing and there were two games left. I had more to lose than to win and on top of that with Iraq as a visitor and (South) Korea as a home. But we bet because it gives us a small advantage to know the players, to be here for five years, and the desire to make history with a national team,” he said.
Similarly, Arruabarrena admitted that the 'Socceroos' are the favorites to get hold of the key, but that they will seek to compensate for their physical shortcomings with a lot of effort and sacrifice. “I haven't participated in a World Cup for 32 years, there is a desire. It is also necessary to know that it is difficult, that we find teams that are a priori superior. It is a unique match in Qatar and often the motivation, the desire, the commitment make you even some differences. If we know how to compete we can be a difficult team. We will try to be first against Australia, to see if later we can pass and have a chance”, he concluded.
UAE IN QATAR 2022 QUALIFIERS
The aforementioned Asian team performed irregularly throughout the qualifying process. And it is that in the 10 games he played, he barely won 3 wins 3 draws, losing 4 times. These results allowed him to add 12 points that they achieved on the last date after beating an already qualified South Korea. Their main pursuer was Iraq, but the tie with Syria left them out of any possibility of moving on to the next round, which the Emiratis agreed to after finishing third.
In the Asian repechage, he will play a single duel against Australia on June 7. It will be the great test for those led by 'Vasco' Arruabarrena to compete and try to overcome this phase and then face the 'blanquirroja'.
COACH PROFILE
Rodolfo Arruabarrena is a former Argentine footballer who worked as a defender. He went through several clubs, but he stands out for his participation in the historic Villarreal that reached the semifinals.
As for his coaching career, he led several teams, including Nacional de Uruguay, Boca Juniors, among others. Although it had a greater presence in Asian football in the United Arab Emirates (Al-Wasl, Al-Ahli, Sharjah FC) and Qatar (Al-Rayyan). However, in February of this year he took command of the Emirati national team, with which he seeks to reach a World Cup after 32 years. The last time they succeeded was in Italy 1990.
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