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Amendolia: A reality check for Aussie futsal |
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Monday, 08 March 2010 23:36 |
 Esfahan: NSW Thunder coach Jamie Amendolia believes Australian futsal has a long way to go before it can compete on an equal footing with the rest of Asia after his side lost their fourth and final game at the AFC Futsal Club Championship with a 6-4 defeat to Pro's Cafe on Tuesday.
Esfahan: NSW Thunder coach Jamie Amendolia believes Australian futsal has a long way to go before it can compete on an equal footing with the rest of Asia after his side lost their fourth and final game at the AFC Futsal Club Championship with a 6-4 defeat to Pro's Cafe on Tuesday.
The Australians had failed to register a single point from their previous three Group B games to see their chances of qualification to the last four disappear and despite a spirited display against Pro's Cafe, they again slumped to defeat.Amendolia believes his players are better for the experience but acknowledged the need for futsal to improve in Australia if they are to perform better at future tournaments.There is a huge difference, said Amendolia, pictured coaching his players during their match with Pro's Cafe.
We are playing against sides here that are professional and train regularly.
We play against sides that train once a week back home.
The speed and the intensity is the big difference between this tournament and back in Australia.Looking back I think we are getting close to competing but there is still that little gap that we have to work on.This tournament for us has been very important.
Before we came here we had no international experience but now we do and we can evaluate where we are at in our country and see what we need to develop.Pro's Cafe coach Rabih Abou Chaaya felt his side were rarely challenged by NSW Thunder as the Lebanese side gave themselves a chance of progressing to the last four.Abou Chaaya's side needed to win if they were to have a hope of reaching the semi-finals but are still reliant on the result between Chinese side Wuhan Dilong and Port Authority of Thailand going their way.This was the easiest game in our group, he said.
The Australian team had no hope for qualification and they were tired from Monday's game.They had no real motivation to beat us only to get three points.
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