Tiago Queiroz Bezerra is one player who carries Al Khor’s weight of expectations in the 2019-20 season, especially in the QNB Stars League.

The Brazilian striker, who joined Al Khor in January, 2019, scored to help The Knights pull off a creditable 1-1 draw against Al Sailiya in Week 1. Al Khor then beat Umm Salal as they are having a good run in this season’s league competition.

In an Exclusive Interview with Qatar Stars League, Tiago spoke about a wide range of topics.

How have you found the season so far in Qatar?

I’m very happy to be playing in Qatar this season. Football is getting more support, media attention and a lot of prominence, especially since Qatar is gearing up to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. There’re high-quality players around and the facilities are outstanding.

You’ve been playing in Qatar since January. How’s the level/standard of competition in the QNB Stars League?

The game’s quality is now more in Qatar than last season. Last time around, there was a big difference between the top two clubs (Al Sadd and Al Duhail, and the rest). This season, almost all teams are closer on the pitch in terms of the level. The competition is more harder. There’re many players who’ve had the experience of playing in the Spanish La Liga.

How do you find playing for Al Khor?

I’ve been representing Al Khor since the start of second half of last season. And this time, we’ve already played two great games. I heard this is the best start for Al Khor in six seasons – one victory and a draw. This is a cohesive unit. We’re like a big family. Players keep good relationship between them.

How do you assess your first two games?

Against Al Sailiya, we even had a chance to win as we created more scoring opportunities against a team which has been playing under one coach (Sami Trabelsi) since 2013! Yet, the draw was a good result for us.

As far as the Umm Salal match was concerned, we deserved victory as were the better side overall.

How do you look forward to the match with Al Ahli?

We’ve to do more. We started training ahead of the Al Ahli match on Tuesday. It’ll definitely be a good game. Al Ahli are a dangerous side, as we could make out from their game against Al Sailiya in Week 2. They attack a lot. They’ve players who perform aggressively.

How’s it like playing under coach Omar Najhi?

It wasn’t easy for him to take over the first team even though he has been working with the junior side. He knows well how to get the best out of the players. He works very hard and gives freedom to players. He also instils confidence in players.

How do you look forward to the season?

We want to finish well in the 2019-20 QNB Stars League. We’re eager to avoid the situation, where we fight to avoid relegation. Last season, we had some hard moments. We don’t want to leave it late. We’ll fight till the end.

Personally, I want to score more goals and help my side to the best-possible finish. I respect all players. I want to be one among the best, but my priority is the team’s cause.

How’s the team composition of Al Khor?

It’s totally different than last season as we struggled to find a replacement for a particular position when one player got injured. This time, we’ve almost 20 players who can start a game. We’ve more options. Some talented Qatari players, such as Ali Qaderi, Mohammed Sayed (Jeddo) and goalkeeper Rajab Hamza, joined the squad at the start of this season. 

What’s your message to Al Khor fans?

We could see some of our fans jumping in joy and screaming after our win over Umm Salal. There were some kids too among them. We want to keep making them happy. If the team is faring well, more and more fans will come. It’s a good feeling.