You got it spot on. Metsu said: "It's difficult to play two big tournaments in two months and I think that you have to ask, are the players capable of withstanding the mental pressure of playing in two competitions back to back?" The following points may be argued: 1. You got 2 months to test, prepare and balance your team. What about the Easterners? 2. While you played in the Gulf cup: a) Why did you not prioritise and test your bench strength and rest important players? b) While you played in the Gulf cup, the East Asians were not exactly laying eggs! A number of them were competing in top leagues in Asia and Europe 3) The tournament was held in West Asia, and therefore, home conditions favoured the home and neighbouring teams 4) If this tournament is to be taken as an exception, how does one explain that in the last WC, none of the West Asians played? 5) All Asian achievements in World Cups have come from the East Asians 6) How has Australia, in just two tournaments achieved what they have? Infra, quality players, better leagues and International club exposure, as rightly stated in the article, have clearly taken the East Asians years ahead of their Western counterparts.
