Saudi players must beef up, says coach

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Jakarta, July 13: Skinny Saudi Arabia players must muscle up or risk getting sand kicked in their faces at the Asian Cup, their coach Helio Cesar dos Anjos said today.

The Saudis were fortunate to escape with a 1-1 draw against South Korea in their opening Group D match and face co-hosts Indonesia tomorrow.

''There has been lots of studies done on the Saudi Arabian players' DNA and genetically they are very, very good (for soccer),'' Anjos told a news conference.

''But they need more muscle. Muscle to be competitive.You can talk about speed all you want but power is really important in football.'' Victory for Indonesia would seal their place in the quarter-finals and almost certainly condemn the Saudis to an early exit.

But Anjos, the target of heavy criticism in Saudi Arabia despite having had only 35 days to work with the team, was not even contemplating a loss.

''If I only thought about defeat before a match I would not have been in the game for 21 years,'' the Brazilian said.

''I put it in the players' heads that this (game) is life or death.'' Anjos acknowledged his team's weaknesses had been exposed against South Korea, adding that fans would see a totally different style against Indonesia at a seething Gelora Bung Karna Stadium.

He believes the players will rise to the occasion.

''What's the best thing for an artist to have? It's for a crowd to watch him perform his art. There will be an 80,000 or 90,000 crowd there pushing for the other team.

''My experience in Brazil has shown me that this will stimulate our players to do well.''

Reuters>