Kuwait coach: We must improve against Iraq

Kuwait national team coach, Portuguese Helio Sousa, emphasized the importance of the team improving in its next two matches at the “Gulf Cup 27” against Iraq on Saturday, followed by Oman in the remaining two rounds of Group A.

Speaking at the post-match press conference following the opening round match against Saudi Arabia, which ended in a 0-1 defeat for the “Blue Shirts,” Sousa said: “We delivered an excellent performance and tried to come back against Saudi Arabia. I am not focused on results right now, but on the experience and time that will make the Kuwaiti national team better.”

He added: “We are still striving to develop and have the ability to sustain a complete performance over the full 90 minutes. I want to emphasize that the players gave their best and deserve all the support from the Kuwaiti fans who were with us. We could have won, but we were unable to do so.”

Sousa continued: “Saudi Arabia was simply stronger than us. We have different ideas, and some players are still discovering this level. They will get better day by day and learn from their older teammates. I am not thinking too much about the result right now, but rather about the experience and time that will make the Kuwaiti national team better. The Saudi national team has far more experience through their repeated participation in World Cups, whereas our team does not have that experience.”

Regarding the decision not to start striker Yousef Nasser, Sousa said he preferred to start with another striker given Nasser’s recent addition to the squad, noting that Nasser came on at the right time and delivered what was asked of him.