New UAE coach Bauza meets few of his wards

Dubai - The former Argentina manager, who took over from Mahdi Ali, met Ismail Matar, Tariq Ahmed, Salem Saleh, Hassan Ibrahim, Adel Al Hosani and Khalid Al Senani at the Theyab Awana ground

Argentina's Edgardo Bauza met a few of his new wards for the first time this week, as the new UAE coach plots the country's remaining road to Russia.
Former Argentina coach Bauza, who replaced Mahdi Ali as coach picked his first 30-man squad earlier in the week, for the World Cup qualifier against Thailand next month.
Bauza met four of the players - veteran ace Ismail Matar of Al Wahda, Al Nasr duo Tariq Ahmed and Salem Saleh and Al Shabab's Hassan Ibrahim - over the course of a light training session at the Theyab Awana ground at the UAE FA premises in Al Khawaneej on Wednesday.
Al Sharjah goalkeeper Adel Al Hosani, formerly a first choice at Al Wahda as well as Al Jazira's reserve shot stopper Khalid Al Senani, both of whom who received call-ups, joined the other four players on Thursday.
They took a day off on Friday and will reunite again on Saturday. It was an unofficial training session with Bauza keen on getting to know some of the players. The full squad will officially link-up on May 30 for a two-day internal training camp before embarking for Malaysia on June 1.
Eight Al Ahli players - goalkeeper Majed Naser, defenders Abdulaziz Haikal, Abdulaziz Sanqour and Walid Abbas, midfielders Khamis Esmail, Habib Fardan and Ismail Al Hammadi and striker Ahmed Khalil as well as six Al Ain players - goalkeeper Khalid Essa, defenders Ismail Ahmed, Mohanad Salem and Mohammed Ahmed, midfielders Ahmed Barman and Omar Abdulrahman - will join the squad either on May 30 or 31, after their respective AFC Champions League commitments.
Al Ahli and Al Ain are in the Round of 16 in the continental competition and play the return leg against Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli and Iran's Esteghlal respectively, on May 29.
The Whites will take on Lebanon in a friendly in Malaysia on June 7, as part of their preparations for their Group B fixture against Thailand in Bangkok on June 13.
Meanwhile, Abdulla Saleh, who was appointed as team supervisor by the UAE FA last month, said that The Whites had not lost hope on qualifying and added that they still had a chance of making it to the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
"We still have an opportunity and we haven't lost hope. There are still three games remaining and in football, it is not over until the final minutes or seconds," Saleh told the UAE FA's official website.
"If there is still a chance, we will fight for it on the pitch. Our duty is to motivate the players and give them the hope that we can do it. We are all working with them and helping them because they are the ones who carry the greatest burden of responsibility. Also, we are not just preparing for the qualifiers but also the Gulf Cup of Nations and the AFC Asian Cup in 2019," he added.
Saleh also said that Bauza and the squad will be looking to build on what Mahdi Ali had done previously. "We are not starting from scratch. It is a continuation of the work done by the squad under Mahdi Ali. Mahdi Ali's and the team's achievements is worthy of praise and the UAE is proud of Mahdi Ali's achievements," said Saleh.
The Whites have nine points from seven games and are currently place fourth in Group B, in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers. Japan and Saudi Arabia are on 16 points each, while Australia have 13 points. Iraq are fifth with four points, while Thailand are bottom of the table with just one point.
After Thailand, the UAE then face a stiff test against neighbours Saudi Arabia at home on August 31. Their last fixture is against Iraq away on September 5.
The top two teams from the group will directly qualify for the 2018 World Cup to be held in Russia in 2018.
james@khaleejtimes.com