Dr. Abdullah Musfir, former national football team coach and technical analyst, emphasized that the technical staff's monitoring of players, led by Romanian coach Olaru Cosmin, through ADNOC Pro League matches is insufficient to prepare the team for upcoming challenges, especially for the 2027 Asian Cup finals and the 2030 World Cup qualifiers. He told 'Al Ittihad': 'Continuity in the next phase is very important for the team, which is still in an experimental phase and giving opportunities to players. So far, there is no stability in a fixed list of 11 or 13 players who form the core of the team. Therefore, it is better to continue the process of preparing the team for the upcoming challenges.' It is worth noting that the team has no official matches scheduled after recently participating in the 2025 Arab Cup in Doha and failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup. Musfir also revealed that during his time leading the team under Slovenian coach Stanko Katanec in 2009, he proposed the idea of having a secondary national team, separate from the Olympic team, similar to major nations that have more than one team capable of participating in official tournaments. At the same time, he stressed the importance of the team not stopping and the need for continuity in the preparation process, emphasizing the importance of Cosmin communicating with players through short training camps and playing friendly matches during any possible breaks, especially during 'FIFA days.' He considered these periods an opportunity for Cosmin to introduce new ideas and test new players, describing it as a crucial chance for experimentation and evaluation. Musfir believes that 'the team's failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup finals and not winning the 2025 Arab Cup are not the end of the road,' affirming that 'the team needs to correct the mistakes that accompanied its past participations and continue to work in the next phase.' He pointed out that there are players who recently obtained Emirati citizenship, and the law allows them to play for the national team, adhering to FIFA's regulations. He considered it best to involve these players in friendly matches to closely assess their abilities and integrate them with the team to achieve good competition, as the level of competition at the national team level, especially continentally, is completely different from local competitions. He explained: 'There are four or five players who recently obtained Emirati citizenship who deserve to play for the national team in the next phase, and they need to be given the opportunity to be with the team.' He added: 'The team needs in the next phase to participate in many friendly tournaments. There are countries like Japan and South Korea that organize friendly tournaments, as well as teams in Europe that organize friendly camps as well. Therefore, the team should participate in such events as long as they are held during 'FIFA days' so as not to miss any opportunity for good preparation.' Musfir also stressed that there are good elements among the players who have emerged in the UAE league and deserve to be with the national team in the next phase and can make the required addition, pointing out that the team still suffers from the lack of an out-and-out striker and a goalscorer. It is essential that Cosmin continues to communicate with the players through short training camps and friendly matches.
