2019 Asian Cup: From Son Heung-min, to hopes of hosts the UAE and a fight for relevance

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  • The wait is almost over and the continent’s finest have descended on the UAE for the biggest – and what organisers hope will be the best – Asian Cup ever witnessed.

    From Saturday’s kick-off between hosts the UAE and Bahrain until February 1’s gala finale at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City, a record 24-nation field will compete to replicate Australia’s memorable success from four years ago.

    Son Heung-min with South Korea, Sardar Azmoun – back from brief international retirement – of Iran and Yuya Osaka from Japan are set to provide the entertainment, plus justify claims of the game’s burgeoning health in this part of the globe despite a mixed World Cup 2018. Leading managers such as Marcello Lippi with China, Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Philippines and Alberto Zaccheroni at the troubled UAE also add plentiful star quality on the touchline.

    A febrile group stage has guaranteed the presence of early intrigue. January 17’s likely Group E decider between Saudi Arabia and Qatar will be football’s most politically-charged match in a generation, China and the Philippines meet amid the worsening South China Sea dispute and Iran v Iraq should garner global attention.

    Then there is the pressure on the Whites to confound a problematic build-up, as well as the debilitating loss to injury of superstar playmaker Omar Abdulrahman, and improve on their painful penalty shootout loss in the decider when the tournament was last held by them 23 years prior.

    The hosts have invested hundreds of millions of dirhams on revamping stadia in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Dubai and Sharjah. Hazza bin Zayed Stadium and ZSC remain, truly, two of Asia’s grand venues.

    For the UAE, the next month means everything. The progress of a ‘Golden Generation’ that impressed at the London 2012 Olympics, won the 2014 Gulf Cup and finished, surprisingly, third at the 2015 Asian Cup has stalled.

    World Cup 2018 was missed, with three coaches being in charge throughout 2017.

    Ex-AC Milan and Juventus supremo Zaccheroni is in situ. He claimed the competition with Japan in 2011, yet a repeat of such success seems alarmingly distant.

    Last Friday’s 2-0 friendly defeat to Kuwait, behind closed doors, made it six wins, seven losses and five draws throughout the 65-year-old’s disappointing tenure. From these 18 fixtures, they’ve gone scoreless 11 times.

    (Twitter/@uaent2019).

    (Twitter/@uaent2019).

    The dreams of many appeared to die in Riyadh during late October when 2016 AFC Player of the Year Amoory tore knee ligaments when playing for Al Hilal.

    Injury-ravaged 2015 AFC Player of the Year Ahmed Khalil has struck only five times in 19 Arabian Gulf League games since the start of 2017/18, while fellow striker Ali Mabkhout’s prolific domestic form has not been repeated in the international scene of late. Last year saw him score only twice.

    The Whites will bank on Al Ain’s record-breaking run to December’s Club World Cup final providing inspiration. A sizeable seven of the 23-man squad faced Real Madrid in the final and beat River Plate.

    Group A is a generous one, containing India, Thailand and Bahrain. January 10’s clash versus the Indians at Zayed Sports City should generate a carnival atmosphere, thanks to the huge expatriate community.

    It will still, however, require the unpredictable for the UAE to push the continent’s giants.

    Japan were the only Asian entrant to break out of the group stage this summer at the World Cup, going on to hand red-hot favourites Belgium a scare in the round of 16. The introduction of Groningen winger Ritsu Doan since makes them even more formidable.

    Korea defeated holders Germany in Russia and in Son, boast the continent’s only true global superstar. He should light up the tournament after his belated arrival for January 17’s Group C decider with China.

    Carlos Queiroz, despite regular protestations, is still in charge of imposing Iran and Juan Antonio Pizzi has maintained a guiding hand for Saudi Arabia. The ex-Spain striker’s troops will receive huge support when they travel east across the border.

    Champions Australia have been hurt, some would argue critically, by the absences of exciting Celtic loanee Daniel Arzani and influential Huddersfield Town midfielder Aaron Mooy. The imprint of high-octane returning head coach Graham Arnold, however, can already be seen and they will still take some stopping in the Emirates.

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    It is these countries that will carry Asia’s message of strength – and relevance – to an often-sceptical outside world.

    Beneath these giants, Thailand and recent AFF Suzuki Cup winners Vietnam are burgeoning forces.

    War-torn Syria represent genuine dark horses thanks to the strike power of Omar Al Somah and Omar Khrbin, Oman stunned the UAE to claim last January’s Gulf Cup and Uzbekistan want Hector Cuper’s winning touch when in charge of Egypt to continue with them.

    Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s general secretary Aref Al Awani has been at pains to state that the UAE is “happy” to welcome Qatar, despite a tense diplomatic dispute. In 2018 AFC Player of the Year Abdelkarim Hassan and Villarreal-owned Akram Afif, a new breed could impress upon the way to putting on World Cup 2022.

    An increased format has, further, allowed for welcome debuts. Yemen and the Philippines should bring huge swathes of support, while mystery surrounds Kyrgyzstan.

    With so much at stake – on and off the pitch – across 51 matches, this is a competition to savour.

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