UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni has defended the absence of Omar Abdulrahman and Ali Mabkhout with the Italian stressing that he’s keen to give opportunities to younger players at the King’s Cup.
The Whites were beaten 2-1 by Slovakia at Thailand’s Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok as goals from Albert Rusnak and Michal Duris earned Jan Kozak’s side a deserved victory. Ahmed Khalil scored the UAE’s goal.
2016 AFC Player of the Year and Al Ain playmaker Abdulrahman and Al Jazira striker Mabkhout, who was top-scorer in the 2015 Asian Cup, were left out of the 24-man squad for the Bangkok trip.
It was the first time that the national team were playing without Abdrulrahman and Mabkhout since the Gulf Cup final in January.
The duo were punished by the UAE Football Association with a four-match domestic suspension in January after being found guilty of leaving the team’s hotel without permission the night before their Gulf Cup final against Oman. The UAE lost the match in Kuwait City on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
Zaccheroni said they still remain in his plans but wants to use the four-team Kings’ Cup tournament as a chance to analyse talent at his disposal ahead of the 2019 Asian Cup on home soil.
“There are no differences in the value of Omar and Mabkhout, they are the pillars of the team,”he said. “They are two very important players and they were not called because I know their level and I want to give the opportunity to new players.”
The Gulf Cup finalists will now face Gabon in Sunday’s third-place match and the Italian has warned his team to create more opportunities after being disappointed with what he saw against Slovakia.
“The difference in the first half of the game was great,” said the former AC Milan and Japan coach. “Our midfield created many chances in the second half, but we managed to turn one goal into a goal. As you could see, Slovakia have a number of really good players who have a lot of potential and they took their chances.
“Gradually as the match went on, we played better.”
