The reporter reported coldly After a 0-0 draw away from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain accumulated 5 points in the first 4 games of the round of 18, 1 win, 2 draws and 1 loss, and was better than the national football team in the group qualification situation. Croatia coach Taradzic, who briefly coached Henan Jianye, was very satisfied with the performance of the Bahrain team. Bahrain, from coaches to players, are optimistic about at least reaching the play-offs, and Taladzic also mentioned two key games in November against Bahrain at home and away against Australia. He believes Bahrain must beat the national football team at home and be on the same running line with Saudi Arabia and Australia, who have also beaten the national football team, in the fierce competition for play-off qualification.

Bahrain is full of anticipation

In the two rounds of the round of 18 that just ended, Bahrain had both wins and losses, with only one point from the three points they had to win at home against Indonesia, and then the expected one point against strong rivals Saudi Arabia. In the first four games, Bahrain scored four points against the top three teams, far exceeding expectations. Compared to the national football team and Indonesia, which are competing for play-off qualification, Bahrain have a two-point and four-point advantage over the top three teams. Moreover, it also managed to drag Australia and Saudi Arabia in the first three gears.

Bahrain have played in the final stage of the Asian zone of the World Preliminary Championship three times before, and Taladzic's team has finished only four games below the 2002 Round of 10 (6 points) and more than the 2006 Round of 8 and 2010 Round of 10 (4 points). In both 2006 and 2010, Bahrain reached the play-offs. And both times they were in the same group as Japan, and in 2010 they were in the same group as Japan and Australia, as in the round of 18.

This is the fourth time in the history of Bahrain that they have entered the final stage of the Asian qualifiers for the World Cup, and the first four games are better than the previous two play-offs, and the Bahrain team is naturally full of expectations. Taladzic said Bahrain had performed well against strong teams and had the quality to enter the play-offs. Defender Shamsan said Bahrain showed a high level of discipline and competitiveness, and defensive resilience was the basis for scoring points. But he also admits that the team needs to improve on attacking opportunities: "We need to improve our shooting percentage and be more calm and focused in front of goal. ”

The Bahrain team mainly plays the 442 formation, and the main lineup is relatively fixed. In four games, five of the six midfielders have been starting, with veterans Abduljabbar and Aswad in the front line, and Mahon and Madan on the wings, two returnees who play in the West Asian league. The double midfield is led by the 35-year-old veteran Haalan, and Asfur played three main games in the other position, and was replaced by the 32-year-old veteran Saeed in the away game against Saudi Arabia. Left-back Huras, centre-back Benardi and goalkeeper Lute Farah all played the first four games, while Bynadi's centre-back partners Bakler and Khayyam played two games each, and right-back Nigerian naturalised Emmanuel played three games.

However, Bahrain has also suffered losses in the last two games. Striker Issa suffered a torn cruciate ligament in her left knee and is recuperating for at least nine months. The main left-back Huras has accumulated yellow cards and will be suspended against the national football team. However, Issa is only a backup center forward and has limited help on the offensive end. Bahrain actually scored just two goals in their first four games, all from left wing-back Mahon. Bahrain is very resilient, but the main squad is more aged, the main squad only has two wings of Mahon and Madan, back Asfur and right-back Emmanuel is under 30 years old. In the away game against Saudi Arabia, only Mahon, Madan and right-back Shamsan were under 30 years old in the starting 11.

As a visiting player, how to grasp the few attacking opportunities like Indonesia is key, and more importantly, watch out for Bahrain's counter-attacks, especially on the wing.

The Bahrain Football Association also made efforts off the field

The national football team played away to Bahrain in November, when the temperature in Bahrain has dropped below 30 degrees Celsius, which is not hot, but the national football team should beware of Bahrain's "off-the-field moves". The Arab countries almost single-handedly cover the sky, and the Arab team takes a lot of care of the Arab team in arranging the referee. Bahrain has enjoyed a lot of "referee bonuses" in the round of 18, beating Australia 1-0 away in the opening game, and the AFC arranged a U.A.E. referee team from the Arab country. As a result, Omar · Ali sent off Australia centre-forward Yanki, and Bahrain, who played one more, relied on Suta's own goal in the 89th minute to get three points.

In October, Bahrain played Indonesia at home, and the AFC arranged for an Oman referee team from Arab countries. Oman's referee Al Kaf's decision sparked controversy after the game, and it was in "super long stoppage time" that Bahrain equalised, leaving Indonesia with two points. It has always been difficult for the national football team to be treated fairly on the issue of refereeing in Asian competitions, and the top 18 also need to take some countermeasures.

The AFC has not yet released the list of referees for the national football team away to Bahrain, but the Chinese Football Association should strive not to be enforced by referees from Arab countries, and try to avoid too many losses in away games in terms of penalties. In the first 4 games of the round of 18, the national football team against Saudi Arabia was the Tajikistan referee team, and against Australia was the Malaysia referee team to enforce the law, at least it was treated relatively fairly, and the lead was reversed mainly due to their own improper arrangement and substitutions, not by the referee's controversial decision.

The Bahrain Football Association has made full use of the rules and has complained to the AFC that Indonesian fans "hacked" the official website, official social media accounts and email addresses of the Bahrain Football Association after the game, issued death threats under the personal social media accounts of Bahrain players, and applied for the away game against Indonesia to be held on a neutral ground on the grounds that the "personal safety is threatened" in the away game in Indonesia in March next year. The AFC issued a statement on October 18, accepting the complaint of the Bahrain Football Association, stressing that it opposes all stadium violence and will convene a joint meeting of the AFC, FIFA, Bahrain and Indonesian Football Association to discuss whether to hold the match on a neutral ground. Although the Bahrain Football Association's tactics may not be successful, at least it has done everything it can to achieve this.

If the Indonesian team ends up being switched to a neutral venue due to fan excesses, it will be a major victory for the Bahrain Football Association. Of course, it also sounded the alarm for the Chinese Football Association. Away games against Bahrain must be prepared for sufficient "off-field moves", including team preparation, hotel stay, transportation to the stadium, especially restraining players and fans in the stadium not to make radical behaviors, and not giving Bahrain people the opportunity to use "off-field moves".