The Eagles of Qasioun, as the Syrian football team is known, is virtually out of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup after two matches.
The team is staring at a group-stage exit for the seventh time after losing 0-1 to Australia and only managing a 0-0 draw against Uzbekistan in its opening game.
However, it still stands a slim chance of qualifying as one of the four best third-placed teams, provided it can beat India in its last group game on January 23.
Hector Cuper and European Experience
Hector Cuper as a manager arguably ranks top among his contemporaries in the team’s AFC Asian Cup group. In his very first managerial experience with Spanish Club Mallorca, the Argentine propelled the team to a maiden Spanish Super Cup and its best-ever third-placed finish in La Liga which ensured Champions League qualification.
The 68-year-old’s biggest achievement to date remains helping Valencia, which he took over after his stint with Mallorca, to consecutive Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001. He has unfortunately carried a ‘runner-up curse’ tag with him since – he has lost eight titles at the very last hurdle of the race – six finals and two leagues on the very last matchday. It remains unlikely that Cuper will get to change that this tournament.
What has remained constant over the years though has been his ability to create flawless teams.
Nicknamed ‘Cabezon’ or the ‘Big Head’, the secret behind his success has been his ability to rub off this ‘big head’ mentality to his players, to ensure that they are always up to the task at hand – to give a hundred per cent on the field come what may. Having already achieved that with Mallorca, Valencia, and Inter Milan, just to name a few, Cuper is now tasked with perfecting this Syrian team. It has been less than a year since the veteran took charge – he was appointed manager in February 2023. Having played only two World Cup qualifying matches; winning 1-0 against North Korea and losing 5-0 against Japan, Cuper faces his first real test at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup.
Cuper in for now
After being accustomed to the European circuit where he coached superstars of football in the past like Ronaldo Nazario at Inter Milan and Mohamad Salah at Egypt, the veteran is now manager of an Asian team that is levels below in stardom.
One must also not forget the only other time when Cuper was a manager of an Asian team, Uzbekistan in 2018, he was sacked after a year following a shock away defeat to Palestine in a World Cup qualifying game in September 2019.
Even with this Syrian team, his record has been below par. The team has not won consecutive matches since he took charge and its AFC ranking (14) has remained the same.
In this edition of the AFC Asian Cup, the Eagles of Qasioun escaped with a draw in their opening fixture against Uzbekistan in a game that was largely dominated by the opposition on all metrics.
Even in the game against Australia, although it was a commendable effort that the team managed to restrict the opposition to only one goal, it was still a loss regardless. If Cuper’s side is unable to beat India in its last fixture, the team will go eight games without registering a victory in the competition – its last victory coming way back in the 2011 edition in a 2-1 win against Saudi Arabia.
SYRIA NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM - Key stats
Cuper’s unorthodox yet straightforward football tactics
The Argentine has never been one to shy away from making the tough decisions to achieve the desired results. At Inter Milan, his disagreements with Ronaldo saw the Brazilian legend leave the club, blaming his departure entirely on the 68-year-old. Despite the star forward’s departure, Cuper still managed to help Inter Milan finish second in the Serie A and also reach the semifinal of the Champions League in the 2002-03 season.
Although his style accounts for a rather unattractive brand of football, there are three things that Cuper emphasises – commitment, defensive solidity and maximum effectiveness up front.
Cuper has always been able to bring out the full potential of players who are not expected to do much. And this Syrian team, which fits that description perfectly, gives him another chance to assemble a team with equal quality and commitment, which has always been his recipe for success as a coach.
He usually employs a 4-4-2 formation but a 4-2-3-1 has also been used at times.
A Syrian squad with not much to show
The biggest positive when Syria announced its squad for the AFC Asian Cup was the inclusion of players with European football experience - six of its 26 players currently play in the top division of European leagues.
However, only three of these players have made their debut for the senior national team so far - Ammar Ramadan with 8 caps, and Aiham Ousou and Elmar Abraham with one cap each.
That being said, the squad still has some quality players who can be a threat to any team.
The player to watch out for will be forward Omar Khribin who has scored the most goals out of anyone in this Syrian squad with 21 goals in 55 appearances.
Omar Khribin (#7) has scored the most goals out of anyone in this Syrian squad with 21 goals in 55 appearances. | Photo Credit: AFP
In 2017, he became the first Syrian to be named the Asian Player of the Year. During the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualification, the 30-year-old scored 10 goals for his nation which helped The Eagles of Qasioun come close to securing a World Cup spot before they lost to Australia 3-2 on aggregate in the play-off round.
While Khribin is yet to start a game in the tournament, he was brought on as a substitute in the 0-0 draw against Uzbekistan and the 0-1 loss to Australia and came close to scoring in the few chances that he got.
Midfielder Ammar Ramadan is another player who has been Cuper’s go-to man in the tournament. The 23-year-old who plays in Slovakia’s top tier has been directly involved in most of the goal-scoring chances the team has had so far. With more support from his fellow midfielders, Ramadam could help his team bow out of the tournament in style after its last league game against India.
Comments
SHARE