Al Wakrah coach Jose Murcia spoke to the media ahead of their 2023-2024 season Expo Stars League Week 17 match against Al Duhail.

“We focused on restoring the team’s psychological state because this is the most important thing in the current period, as well as restoring the team’s balance while thinking only about winning.

“We have a short time to prepare for the match, especially since the time between the Al Rayyan match and Al Duhail match was somewhat short, and we have to clear our minds and be clear in setting the goal, and I confirm that we will fight to get the three points.

“A short while ago we were in second place, and now we must return to the path of victories and compete strongly with the teams in the top four.

“This is my fifth match with the team and in this short time there have been major and important changes for the team. Former coach Marquez Lopez continued for six seasons and worked to create a solid and dynamic base for the team. He was present in the team as a leader and served as a reference and now there is no reference here in the team and the players must accept this situation, regardless of whether there is a new coach or not, because this team is like a family that has lost its father, and with this the reference disappears.

“At the present time, the team needs a short time to recover from this stage, and at this stage I am with the team, because this is the reality now and we cannot go back in time, we must look to the future, and this is a simple message filled with love for the club and the team,” said Murcia.

Al Wakrah player Abdulaziz Metwally said, “I feel very optimistic about the team’s ability to overcome the Al Duhail obstacle. Al Wakrah have distinguished players, whether foreign or local professionals.

“I have played for five clubs in Qatar and I can say that Al Wakrah are one of the best and strongest clubs I have played for in terms of the quality of the players, the strength of the team and the support of the management. Therefore the team is capable of achieving victories regardless of the strength of the competitors.

“The time was short before this match and we began training in order to focus on emerging from this match with a good result and an image that reflects the strength of the team. The short time did not deprive us of good preparation.

“From the first week, I felt like I was a member of this family and I received great support from all club members. I had my first participation against Al Sadd, but I suffered an injury that kept me away from the last two matches, but I am focusing on making a strong comeback in order to help the team.”