Italian World Cup coach Prandelli vows

Al Nasr coach Cesare Prandelli has said that he still retains the hunger and has vowed to "grow" with the club and win silverware for the Blues.

The former Italy coach, after underwhelming spells with Turkish club Galatasaray and La Liga club Valencia, makes his first foray in the Middle East.

And the 60-year-old hopes to resurrect his managerial career and return himself and Al Nasr to where they belong.

"After my previous experiences, I'm very much motivated. Here, there is a very serious project, long-term project and we want to grow with the club," Prandelli said at his pre-match press conference at the Al Maktoum Stadium on Thursday evening.

Prandelli's reign begins with the Arabian Gulf Cup fixture against promoted Ajman at the Zabeel Stadium on Saturday night.

Al Nasr are set to play all of their home fixtures at Al Wasl's Zabeel Stadium as they are building a new stadium for the AFC Asian Cup to be held in 2019.

"We want to better the position from last year and we are thinking about the future because we are in a country which thinks about the future, and we want to do the same," added Prandelli.

Prandelli, who won a plethora of titles, including three Serie A trophies with Juventus, was curious to know where they stood in terms of their readiness but reaffirmed that they will fight to win every piece of silverware.

"I'm very curious to see at what point what we are, how ready we are. For sure, we are going to play every game to win, including the Cups. I know the history of the club and the history of the Cups, how important they are. So, for us, every competition is important because through one Cup, we can directly qualify to the Champions League. So, every game is important for us," he said.

"For sure, we need to be more careful in defence and allow less goals. We need to play with more intensity and we need to attack the box with more players," Prandelli added.

Meanwhile, Al Wasl coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena was pleased with how last season panned out but said that is the past and urged his players to start afresh.

"We had a good season and played at the same level as clubs with more players and better finances. We are happy about that, but it is already in the past. Now we start a new season," said Arruabarrena.

"We don't have any more or less responsibility than last year. Our objectives remain the same, to be there in all tournaments. However, if we are to repeat or improve on what we did last season we will have to work even harder. If we don't play with the same mentality and character, we won't be in a good way," added the Argentine.

Al Wasl finished an impressive second in the Arabian Gulf League last season.

They begin their Arabian Gulf Cup campaign by hosting Dibba at the Zabeel Stadium on Friday evening.

"If we relax and think everything is done, because of what we did last year, it will speak very badly of us. So, we have to carry on and show what we can do on the field, without talking. And that starts with our first match this weekend," Arruabarrena said.

Source: Khaleej Times