Last week’s draw placed the Gulf neighbors in the same group alongside Thailand and Kyrgyzstan Oman boss Branko Ivankovic has been around the block in Asia and believes that the decision of Herve Renard to leave Saudi Arabia in March could spell trouble for the Green Falcons, in the short-term at least. For the latest updates, follow us on Twitter @ArabNewsSport The Croatian is full of respect for the Frenchman after the two teams met twice in the final round of qualification for the 2022 World Cup. On May 11, Saudi Arabia and Oman were drawn together once more, this time in Group F of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup that will take place next January. Ivankovic is looking forward to crossing swords with a team that defeated eventual champions Argentina in November at the World Cup. “They showed an excellent performance at the World Cup,” Ivankovic, who led Iran to the 2006 World Cup, told Arab News. “They didn’t have the luck to get to the second stage as they missed a penalty kick and lost to Poland. Overall, they played well and have a strong league, good players and good coaches,” he said. One of those was Renard, who took over the France women’s team ahead of this summer’s World Cup after four years in Riyadh. Ivankovic believes he will be missed. “Herve Renard is an excellent coach and had excellent results at the African Cup of Nations, and then he did well with Morocco at the 2018 World Cup and then he did well with Saudi Arabia, the only team to beat Argentina,” he said. “I don’t know why he went back to France but it could be a big problem. It could be a big problem to have a coach with no Asian knowledge just before the Asian Cup.” Yasser Al-Misehal, president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, has said that an appointment will be made in June or July and Ivankovic knows that making the right decision is key. “If they get a good coach with a good staff then they can deal with the situation and have enough time to get to know the Saudi Arabian players and analyze the other teams,” Ivankovic said. The new guy will have to get up to speed on Oman, one of the most improved teams in Asia. In qualification for the World Cup, Saudi Arabia won both games 1-0 between the two and they were very tight. “We played well against them and we showed that we can play against any team in Asia,” said Ivankovic, 69. The Reds also defeated Japan and finished just a point behind Australia. “We were in the second pot of teams for the Asian Cup draw for the first time. We have improved after good support from the board and federation. I also had a lot of time with the players and we moved in a good direction as the players are really hard-working and want to train and improve. I have enjoyed working with them.” Alongside Saudi Arabia, Oman must also contend with Thailand and Kyrgyzstan for the top two automatic places in the second round. “At this tournament, a group is a group and none are easy. This is a big competition so all teams have some quality. I am generally satisfied. Saudi Arabia are naturally the favorites. I expect a tough game against Kyrgyzstan, they have some habits from Eastern Europe and they still have that style and they are very hard, very tough. It is the same with Thailand, they are a dangerous team. “Most important is that two teams go to the next stage, as do the four best third-placed teams out of six groups. We expect to qualify for the second stage. My personal ambition is that we win each game and play the way we want to win. The first step is to get to the knockout stage and then everything is open.” There is some work still to do to get Oman playing to their best potential. “We will be OK when the time comes and the players will be motivated to get the right results.” One issue that few Oman coaches have had to deal with in the past is expectations. With the national team getting improved results, there is always a danger that this can lead to greater pressure from fans, media and federation officials but it is something that Ivankovic welcomes. “People now expect good things from us but I also expect a lot from my players. This is what good teams need.”