Fans can be a fickle lot. A year ago, it would have been impossible to imagine the “Ultras” at Al Ahli’s Rashid Stadium chanting Cosmin Olaroiu’s name for anything except adoration.
Last week, barely nine months after leading the team to a league and cup double, the Romanian heard them screaming for his dismissal after an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Al Wasl.
Putting on a brave face later, Olaroiu promised to stay on and fight for Ahli’s pride. But his chances of turning it around must be slim.
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The defending champions are a team in flux, and the slide probably started the minute they decided to dump Hugo Viana, an integral part of their success last season, to accommodate Olaroiu’s choice Mirel Radoi.
Ciel’s injury in the opening game forced another change and, since then, there have been a succession of questionable decisions, the latest being to dismiss Carlos Munoz to accommodate South Korean Kwon Kyung-won.
It seems the powers that be have read their shopping list horribly wrong.
The team needed a pair of boots that could get them goals, but they decided to get handcrafted Oxfords instead and a bespoke dinner suit to go with it.
A bit rich and, as Olaroiu keeps complaining, not the best fit.
The Romanian has suggested he was not consulted about these recent changes.
“The coaches have many responsibilities and [make] few decisions, especially here in this region,” he said.
Both the management and coach will have their own version of events, so it is impossible to apportion blame. But the good thing is they are playing Ajman next, and a big win could bring the smiles back.
Emiratis in the spotlight
While Ahli fans are angry about the situation at the club, Ahmed Khalil might not be too upset.
The UAE international has spent too much time warming the benches and now, as lone striker in the squad, it is his time to shine. Khalil can take heart from the performance of the Emiratis in the past week: 13 of the 23 goals in Round 16 were scored by UAE nationals, including two by Saeed Al Kathiri against Ajman.
Khalil, returning from an injury, should be in tomorrow’s starting XI against the same opponents and hoping to do better than Al Kathiri.
Can Wasl end their wait?
Al Wasl fans have probably forgotten what victory in the Bur Dubai derby is like.
It has been a long time. Wasl’s last league win over their bitter rivals, Al Nasr, came in the first half of the 2008/09 season, when Essa Ali’s ninth-minute goal was enough for the hosts to bag the bragging rights.
Since then, Nasr have won six of the 12 clashes, including a resounding 6-1 triumph at home last season.
The Wasl fans should be optimistic ahead of tomorrow’s clash, though, because their team has looked good recently.
If they needed a boost, it came in the form of an emphatic 4-0 win at Ahli last week that raised hopes that their long wait could come to an end this week.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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