Prandelli braces for first test in the League

It may have been a successful start to life as Al Nasr manager but Cesare Prandelli is not getting too carried away and has firmly set his sights on his first test in the Arabian Gulf League.

The Blues blanked promoted Ajman in the Arabian Gulf Cup last week but it all starts here for Prandelli, with a tricky test away to Sharjah in the League. And the former Italy coach has harped about taking it one match at a time.

"We are getting ready for the first League match of the season. We are very much concentrated because we want to have a good start. We are playing against a team who are very well organised and plays good football. But, we are ready," the former Galatasaray and Valencia coach said at his pre-match press briefing.

"The motivations are always present including our training. We are always very well motivated. We are also very much motivated to correct our mistakes because after every game, we look at our mistakes and we correct them and try to improve. But every game is a separate story so we are taking every game, one at a time," added the Italian.

A shot at the League and other competitions hasn't crossed Prandelli's mind just yet with the 60-year-old tactician, who masterminded Italy's runners-up finish at Euro 2012 and qualification for the 2014 World Cup, looking at home improvements.

"The conviction that we are putting in the heads of the group is that we want to improve game after game. If we are able to do so then, in the long run, we will be able to aim higher and higher," he said.

"At this moment, I cannot tell how far we can go and how high we can reach. I have been training this team for 50-60 days and we are continuously improving, that's what I can tell you. Once we are able to play all the teams in the League in the first round, we will have a clear idea what the targets will be," Prandelli added.

What Prandelli is looking for is a positive brand of football from his men, each time they go out on to the park.

"The Cup game has given us some hints although those hints are very limited at the moment. At the moment, we are very much focussed on our own game play and we always want to play positive football," he said.

Prandelli was wary of the test posed by Sharjah despite the hosts not being able to call upon their full quota of foreign players. Sharjah had lost to Emirates in the Arabian Gulf Cup last week.

"When a team has a very strong character, they can get over the absences of foreign players. And Sharjah are a team with a strong character so, it won't be a problem for them," felt Prandelli.

But the Italian believed that his side can hurt them more by going in with an attacking approach.

"After so many years in football, I can tell you that every game is a different story so, the fact that they lost the last match, that will not affect the coming match. I'm sure we will find a different team motivated against us. However, it will be up to us to remind them again that with offensive football, we can hurt them," he said.

"The idea obviously is to give them as many difficulties that we can, in the beginning," Prandelli added.

Source: Khaleej Times