Ahmed Moein announced his arrival in the world of big-time football by captaining Qatar to the Asian Under-19 Championship triumph in Myanmar in 2014. He was also selected as the tournament’s best player and the feat earned Qatar a berth in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand the following year.
Ahmed, who was adjudged Asia’s best young player of 2014, has been playing a key role for his clubs and the Qatar national team. The midfielder has European experience to his credit, having represented Belgium’s KAS Eupen and Spain’s Cultural Leonesa.
The 23-year-old Aspire Academy product, who now dons Qatar SC’s jersey in the QNB Stars League, spoke to QSL Online in an exclusive interview.
The 2018-19 season QNB Stars League will be halfway through after this week’s action. How do you analyse Qatar SC’s performance?
We had a strong start by defeating Al Gharafa but, afterwards, our performance went down and we had a rough patch for quite sometime that also saw the coach (Abdulla Mubarak) being changed. However, we’ve made a turnaround after new coach (Sergio Batista) arrived.
Can you elaborate?
That we collected seven points from our last three games (beat Al Kharaitiyat 2-0, drew with Umm Salal 1-1 and defeated Al Arabi 1-0) sums up the matter. New coach brought in new ideas. He has made the team very organised, defensively and offensively.
After 10 rounds, we’ve conceded 17 goals totally. But we conceded just one goal in the last three matches. Overall, there’s a balance in the team now.
What’s the major change Batista brought about in Qatar SC’s game?
Well, when the team loses three/four games in quick succession, everything seems negative. Batista mainly changed the way we play. Now, we don’t leave a lot of space while defending. He motivated the players as well.
How do you look forward to your Week 11 match against Al Rayyan?
We’re eagerly looking forward to facing Al Rayyan especially since we’re in good form. It’ll be a hard game for us. We must play hard and give our 100 per cent.
What’re the areas for improvement in Qatar SC’s game?
We still have some areas for improvement. It’s mainly about small details and individual mistakes. Our marking while defending corner kicks has to be improved considerably.
How do you analyse your own performance this season?
It was a new challenge for me. I’m trying my best to help Qatar SC improve position in the QNB Stars League table.
How good a group of players Qatar SC have this season?
Ours is a very good group and the team can improve a lot if we stay together longer. We can improve day by day and week by week. The present group of players have been together only for three months or so. I feel comfortable playing for this club.
How supportive is your team management?
The management motivates the entire team. The board members attend training sessions and that gives you extra energy.
What’re your ambitions in this season’s QNB Stars League?
I want to help Qatar SC achieve a respectable position in the league. We’ve chance to go up. Even a top-four finish isn’t impossible for us, depending on how well we sustain the momentum.
I’m also keen to do well with the Qatar national team. I’m working more hard with the aim of excelling in the 2022 FIFA World Cup too.
And I wish to play in a European league one day. If you play in a European league, it’ll enhance your career.
Who’s your role model?
I don’t have a role model in football. But I like the style of Brazilian player Arthur Melo, who joined Barcelona this season. We play in same position — defensive/offensive midfielder. I’m a staunch supporter of Barca.
How did the European experience help your game?
I was lucky to have received good experience, expertise and exposure in Europe. I watched the game astutely and learned from a lot of players. All that enabled me to fine-tune my game.
How did the Aspire Academy help in your career?
I joined Aspire at the age of 10 and I consider it as the best decision to have taken. Learning at an academy that teaches you the A to Z of football makes a lot of difference. Aspire is much different than any other academy in the world, be it the training sessions, match experience, exposure or camps…
Source: qsl.qa