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<p>Ahmed Moein announced his arrival in the world of big-time football by captaining Qatar to the Asian Under-19 Championship triumph in Myanmar in 2014. He was also selected as the tournament’s best player and the feat earned Qatar a berth in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in New Zealand the following year.</p><p>Ahmed, who was adjudged Asia’s best young player of 2014, has been playing a key role for his clubs and the Qatar national team. The midfielder has European experience to his credit, having represented Belgium’s KAS Eupen and Spain’s Cultural Leonesa.</p><p>The 23-year-old Aspire Academy product, who now dons Qatar SC’s jersey in the QNB Stars League, spoke to QSL Online in an exclusive interview.</p><p><strong>The 2018-19 season QNB Stars League will be halfway through after this week’s action. How do you analyse Qatar SC’s performance?</strong></p><p>We had a strong start by defeating Al Gharafa but, afterwards, our performance went down and we had a rough patch for quite sometime that also saw the coach (Abdulla Mubarak) being changed. However, we’ve made a turnaround after new coach (Sergio Batista) arrived.</p><p><strong>Can you elaborate?</strong></p><p>That we collected seven points from our last three games (beat Al Kharaitiyat 2-0, drew with Umm Salal 1-1 and defeated Al Arabi 1-0) sums up the matter. New coach brought in new ideas. He has made the team very organised, defensively and offensively.</p><p>After 10 rounds, we’ve conceded 17 goals totally. But we conceded just one goal in the last three matches. Overall, there’s a balance in the team now.</p><p><strong>What’s the major change Batista brought about in Qatar SC’s game?</strong></p><p>Well, when the team loses three/four games in quick succession, everything seems negative. Batista mainly changed the way we play. Now, we don’t leave a lot of space while defending. He motivated the players as well.</p><p><strong>How do you look forward to your Week 11 match against Al Rayyan?</strong></p><p>We’re eagerly looking forward to facing Al Rayyan especially since we’re in good form. It’ll be a hard game for us. We must play hard and give our 100 per cent.</p><p><strong>What’re the areas for improvement in Qatar SC’s game?</strong></p><p>We still have some areas for improvement. It’s mainly about small details and individual mistakes. Our marking while defending corner kicks has to be improved considerably.</p><p><strong>How do you analyse your own performance this season?</strong></p><p>It was a new challenge for me. I’m trying my best to help Qatar SC improve position in the QNB Stars League table.</p><p><strong>How good a group of players Qatar SC have this season?</strong></p><p>Ours is a very good group and the team can improve a lot if we stay together longer. We can improve day by day and week by week. The present group of players have been together only for three months or so. I feel comfortable playing for this club.</p>
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<p><strong>How supportive is your team management?</strong></p><p>The management motivates the entire team. The board members attend training sessions and that gives you extra energy.</p><p><strong>What’re your ambitions in this season’s QNB Stars League?</strong></p><p>I want to help Qatar SC achieve a respectable position in the league. We’ve chance to go up. Even a top-four finish isn’t impossible for us, depending on how well we sustain the momentum.</p><p>I’m also keen to do well with the Qatar national team. I’m working more hard with the aim of excelling in the 2022 FIFA World Cup too.</p><p>And I wish to play in a European league one day. If you play in a European league, it’ll enhance your career.</p><p><strong>Who’s your role model?</strong></p><p>I don’t have a role model in football. But I like the style of Brazilian player Arthur Melo, who joined Barcelona this season. We play in same position — defensive/offensive midfielder. I’m a staunch supporter of Barca.</p><p><strong>How did the European experience help your game?</strong></p><p>I was lucky to have received good experience, expertise and exposure in Europe. I watched the game astutely and learned from a lot of players. All that enabled me to fine-tune my game.</p><p><strong>How did the Aspire Academy help in your career?</strong></p><p>I joined Aspire at the age of 10 and I consider it as the best decision to have taken. Learning at an academy that teaches you the A to Z of football makes a lot of difference. Aspire is much different than any other academy in the world, be it the training sessions, match experience, exposure or camps…</p>