Monday 20 / May / 2024
Pim Verbeek was announced as coach of Oman’s National Football Team on December 13, with a mandate to revitalise and return the team to what it once was – an emerging force in Asian football – and then sustain his efforts to take Oman beyond that.
You’d think it would sound easy for someone of Verbeek’s stature: He’s been at the helm of both the South Korea and Australia national teams, having previously led the Socceroos to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He’s also a dab hand at blooding young players through the system, having previously been served for the Under-23 outfits of both the UAE and Morocco.
And this is in addition to the vast experience he boasts at club level: PSV Eindhoven, Borussia Monchengladbach, Feyenoord Rotterdam and De Graafschap are just four of the 11 club sides he’s managed. But he inherits an Oman team mired in disarray.
Oman are ranked 121st in the latest FIFA rankings, sandwiched in between the Philippines and Kyrgyzstan. Ahead of them are nations such as Cyprus, New Zealand, Syria, and the Faroe Islands.
It is the lowest ever ranking posted by the national team: A far cry from the time Oman were ranked 56th in the world, a few weeks after they’d narrowly lost out to hosts Qatar in that year’s Gulf Cup final.
Oman finished second in Group D when it came to advancing to the next round of qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, behind Iran, but ahead of lowly-ranked Guam, India, and Turkmenistan. They’ve missed out on a place in Russia and will need to rebuild.
But Verbeek knows he is short on time. His first competitive game in charge takes place at the end of March, as he attempts to get Oman to the AFC Cup in 2019. He may be a shrewd operator, but will need to quickly assess the strengths and weaknesses of his squad and get them to play in a way that best suits the players.
The first few competitive months of Verbeek’s tenure are sure to be rocky, and he knows the assembling of an optimal team will be a work in progress, but this is the primary reason the Oman Football Association have hired him. Verbeek had six weeks with the Aussies before his first match with them, and they ended up winning their encounter against Qatar. Despite his rather unfancied name in footballing circles, after watching their national team underwhelm on the national stage, there is sure to be cause for optimism in this football-mad nation on seeing Verbeek at the helm of the Reds.
Verbeek might not know the squad too well right now, but the search is on for an assistant coach of Omani origin, who will act as a conduit (and a lot more) between team and manager. Things will surely be looking up once March rolls around, given the talent the squad possesses. Veteran goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi is still an integral member of the squad, and the 35-year-old, who plays his football for Championship side Reading in England, will surely be expected (and will) lead by example under Verbeek.
The trio of centre-backs Abdul Salam Al Mukhaini, Fahad Al Jalabubi, and left back Ali Al Busaidi will form the core of his rearguard, with exactly 100 caps between the three of them, while domination in midfield will stem from Dhofar’s Raeed Ibrahim Saleh and Fanja veteran Eid Al Farsi. But there’s plenty of firepower for Verbeek to turn to up front: Emad Al Hosni may be 32, but the veteran frontman is still extremely capable of snaffling a goal, and is just five short of Hani Al Dhabit’s record of 42.
Abdul Al Muqbali has 18 goals to his name, while Qasim Said proves to be a reliable back-up, with 11 strikes under his belt. And that is the silver lining Verbeek will be looking at: This Oman team is a perfect combination of youth and experience, and he will be looking to see his new charges perform on the pitch. Because he knows, and the rest of Oman believes, that the only way is up.
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