With the dazzling spectacle of the official draw in Samarkand\u2019s Registan Square still fresh in the mind, preparations for this year\u2019s FIFA Futsal World Cup\u2122 are continuing apace. Given that expectations are high in the host nation, the pressure is on coach Jose Venancio Lopez.<\/p>\n
Alongside assistants Bakhodir Akhmedov, Arkaitz Sisniega, David Garcia and Rustam Umarov, Venancio Lopez is working day and night to ensure that what happens in the tournament, featuring 24 teams battling it out for global glory between 14 September and 6 October, is even more spectacular than the draw.<\/p>\n
In Uzbekistan\u2019s third appearance at the global finals, the Spaniard is aiming to guide the Central Asians into the knockout phase, a feat they achieved at Lithuania 2021 after bowing out in the group phase at Colombia 2016.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pleased,” said Venancio Lopez, when asked how the host nation\u2019s preparations are going. \u201cWe\u2019re progressing bit by bit. We\u2019ve improved with every game we\u2019ve played. Since last October the team\u2019s gained a lot more match experience. They don\u2019t just play, they now know how to play in each phase of the game.<\/p>\n
“We\u2019ve improved at controlling a match over the whole 40 minutes, which was something we were missing because we used to play in patches: good moments, poor moments, losses of concentration. This is one of the crucial factors we need to keep working on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve improved and one of the keys to that is how well we did at the Asian Cup. We finished third but we could have reached the final. We only lost on penalties in the semis to Iran, who will be among the contenders at the World Cup.”<\/p>\n
As Uzbekistan-based Spanish footballer Ruben Sanchez recently told FIFA, the fans\u2019 support for their national team is impressive. Something similar is sure to occur in futsal too, given this unique opportunity to support their national team on home soil.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a highly patriotic country, very pro-Uzbek,” agreed Venancio Lopez. \u201cEverything related to the country, to the national team and to Uzbekistan draws people in.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone here might turn up at a sporting event just because the national team\u2019s playing, even if they don\u2019t follow the sport. People get behind the team, they\u2019re very pro-Uzbek and feel the country\u2019s colours.”<\/p>\n
Group rivals
\nThe Netherlands, Paraguay and Costa Rica are the three obstacles Uzbekistan must overcome in Group A, with Venancio Lopez arguing that it’s an evenly-matched group. First up are the Dutch, on 14 September in Tashkent\u2019s Humo Arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re a team featuring players with huge individual quality, that\u2019s perhaps what stands out most about them,” said Venancio Lopez. \u201cWhat\u2019s more, they\u2019ve got a Spanish coach and, as a team, they reflect his style of play. But their individual quality is something to keep a very close eye on.”<\/p>\n
\u201cParaguay have been at the highest level for many years. They\u2019ve been among the leading teams in South American futsal for a very long time now, and they\u2019ve got a very experienced squad. Veteran players who\u2019ve been in the game for years, some of them have played in Spain and others are playing in Italy.<\/p>\n
“The experience they have, the time playing [together], they\u2019re a very savvy team who know what they need to do in each phase and know how to dictate the tempo of a match.”<\/p>\n
\u201cCosta Rica have been the top team in Concacaf for years. They\u2019ve got the strongest league and they always end up reaching the World Cup, because their federation does the best work in futsal in the Concacaf region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThough they\u2019re rebuilding the team and are using youngsters, they\u2019re always going to cause you lots of problems through their speed and the fact they play very \u2018vertical\u2019 futsal. The last game in the group is the most decisive of all. They\u2019re all decisive. but I think this will be the key clash for us in our group.”<\/p>\n
With vast experience on the court, Venancio Lopez came agonisingly close to claiming the world title with Spain in 2008 and 2012, only to be edged out on both occasions by final opponents Brazil. The veteran strategist includes both nations as among the contenders at this FIFA Futsal World Cup, though it will by no means be plain sailing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the end, there are lots of factors that can decide a World Cup,’ he said. “What\u2019s clear is that the winner will be one of Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Portugal or Iran. I think one of those five will be crowned champions, they\u2019re the favourites.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we base it on player quality alone, we\u2019d have to back Brazil, but in recent editions that\u2019s not decided who wins it. The last two champions were Portugal and Argentina because collectively they were the best, which for me is what matters most.”<\/p>\n
Exploring Uzbekistan
\nHaving lived in Uzbekistan for a while, despite a heavy futsal workload, Venancio Lopez has also made time for tourism, getting to know different corners of the country and learning more about its rich culture \u2013 one which visiting futsal fans will be able to enjoy in person in a matter of months.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a country with a lot of history, with cities that are particularly appealing,” he said. “Samarkand, of course, is perhaps the best-known city from a touristic point of view thanks to its religious history, its commercial side and because of the Silk Road. It\u2019s got a very, very special appeal. Registan Square, where the draw was held, is something spectacular.”<\/p>\n
\u201cBukhara, which is also a host city, and Khiva are spectacular cities too. Tourism is now starting to generate income for the country. And, of course, Tashkent is a stunning city and a surprising one to those who don\u2019t know it. It\u2019s got a Western feel and is very, very modern.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the dazzling spectacle of the official draw in Samarkand\u2019s Registan Square still fresh in the mind, preparations for this year\u2019s FIFA Futsal World Cup\u2122 are continuing apace. Given that expectations are high in the host nation, the pressure is on coach Jose Venancio Lopez. Alongside assistants Bakhodir Akhmedov, Arkaitz Sisniega, David Garcia and Rustam […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":985486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20966],"tags":[9648,27192],"class_list":["post-985484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fifa-news","tag-fifa","tag-fifa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=985484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/985486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=985484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=985484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/91varzeshi.ir\/portal\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=985484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}