Can Al Ahli begin an era of domestic dominance?
In April, when the league title was secure and thoughts turned to domestic cups and continental crowns, Abdullah Al Naboodah preferred to cast his mind beyond 2013/14.
The Al Ahli chairman spoke of creating a dynasty, of making his thriving club the flag bearer for UAE football. It had been five years without the top-flight trophy and Ahli were determined the next gap between championships would be more constricted.
It helps when management and manager share similar focus. Cosmin Olaroiu, coach and UAE-title collector par excellence, reappeared early this summer refreshed and reinvigorated. Last season’s off-field traumas are behind him; in front, he hopes, is a fourth consecutive championship.
So the wheels to improvement were set in motion. Habib Fardan, the top-scoring Emirati in 2013/14, arrived from Al Nasr and undoubtedly strengthened a squad that, outside of the starting XI, had seemed a little lightweight.
Ahli's foreign roster swelled, too, with Mirel Radoi joining from Al Ain. The Romanian's recruitment did not necessarily surprise – he has been employed as Olaroiu's on-pitch lieutenant at a succession of clubs – but it could be ill-conceived.
Radoi is poised to take Hugo Viana’s midfield slot, even though the Portuguese was excellent in orchestrating Ahli last season. His replacement is two years his senior, with a chequered recent injury record.
Then again, at least he is two years younger than Grafite. The Brazilian, with 59 goals in 66 league matches, continues to prolong an already creditable career, but just how long he can carry Ahli's attacking thrust is open to debate. Luis Jimenez and Ciel are on the wrong side of 30, too.
Ahli have the resources to defend their crown, but an extended period of dominance will require significant investment next summer.
They have also gone from hunter to hunted. How they handle that, and the increased expectations, is crucial to their chances of retaining the title. They may just struggle to do it.
Will Al Ain regain their place at the top of UAE football?
For an insight into where Al Ain’s title defence unravelled last season, travel back to July 6, 2013. Cosmin Olaroiu, the architect of consecutive championship-winning sides, uprooted from the Garden City, and from there an undesirable situation snowballed.
In came Jorge Fossati, out went hopes of a third top-flight trophy on the bounce. The Uruguayan was simply the wrong man; Al Ain recognised as much 49 days into his tenure and Fossati was dismissed.
The new season began the next day. Pre-season had become a parody. As a consequence, the champions laboured through the first few months of 2013/14 under Quique Sanchez Flores, their third coach that summer, slipping to eighth in the table.
Yet Zlatko Dalic's arrival has revived the club. Al Ain climbed the table, lifted the President's Cup and this month will compete for a spot in the Asian Champions League final. They are unbeaten in 15 matches.
Their continental run means they enter the new domestic season in fine fettle – the polar opposite to 12 months ago – and they should hit the ground running. They will take some catching.
An accomplished squad has been tweaked, with Miroslav Stoch, Lee Myung-joo and Jires Kembo Ekoko strengthening their foreign collective. Rashid Essa and Mohammed Fawzi are shrewd additions, while Mohammed Fayed looks fit enough, finally, to bolster the defence.
Al Ain have pace and power, and, in Omar Abdulrahman and Asamoah Gyan, they possess the country’s finest playmaker and striker, respectively. Keeping Abdulrahman fresh and free from injury is a necessity, although the midfielder has a point to prove following a disappointing league campaign last time out.
Al Ain have the deepest and most talented squad in the division, are prepared for the road ahead, and, crucially, still bear the wounds of last season's meek surrender. They have momentum and motivation. A 12th championship is well within reach.
What impact will Eric Gerets have on Al Jazira?
As his new squad quickly discovered this summer, Gerets demands complete dedication: he is committed, utterly convincing. It is no doubt a relic from his playing days, when the combative, no-nonsense full-back earned the nickname “The Lion”. A Belgium international, he starred for Standard Liege and PSV Eindhoven.
The full-hearted approach transitioned smoothly to management, where Gerets has enjoyed a multitude of success.
He won league titles in his native Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The latter two, while perhaps the least celebrated, are now the most relevant.
Crucially, Gerets has pedigree in the Gulf. Last season, he guided Lekhwiya to their third Qatar Stars League crown, when the Doha club outscored the rest of the division. It was a reminder that the former defender has always displayed a thirst for the offensive.
Jazira can anticipate much of the same. It was hardly surprising Gerets, upon his first press briefing as coach, espoused the importance of allying talent with discipline and motivation. "If one of these is absent," he said, "you cannot win trophies."
His squad boasts the first attribute in abundance. Already strong, Jazira bought well this summer, with Mirko Vucinic sure to contest the league's Golden Boot, Jonathan Pitroipa a cunning midfielder and Manuel Lanzini, the young Argentine playmaker, set to be the standout. Jucilei da Silva, the Brazilian who arrived in January, has excelled in pre-season.
With Gerets, Jazira appear to possess the final piece to finally challenge for the title. He is the club’s sixth coach since their 2011 league and President’s Cup double, a success they have not come close to emulating. In the past three seasons, they have finished at least 15 points behind the champions.
Gerets, though, changes the dynamic. A serial winner, he offers his latest club an extra edge. Jazira are another genuine title contender.
Which of the new boys have the best chance to stay up?
In each of the first four seasons in the professional era, promoted clubs cut different paths. Put plainly, one survived, while the other did not.
Al Khaleej, Emirates club, Kalba and then Emirates again – they came up and they went straight back down.
Their fellow new boys fared remarkably better: Ajman and Dubai club finished ninth in 2008/09 and 2010/11, respectively, with Ajman seventh in 2011/12. In 2009/10, Baniyas capped a remarkable big league return by finishing fourth.
The past two seasons have been different. In 2012/13, when the division expanded to 14 teams, both promoted sides – Kalba and Dibba Al Fujairah – were relegated. Last year, Sharjah and Emirates managed to extend their stay beyond a single season.
So what of the 2014/15 entrants? Again, Kalba come back as Division One champions, but again the outlook appears bleak. In their past two top-flight campaigns, Kalba have struggled through the first few months, their fate almost sealed by the halfway stage.
They have recruited extensively this summer, but preparations received a setback last week when Thaer Bawab, the Jordanian striker signed late in July, was released. Vinicius Eutropius, the coach, is already banging the war drums – what else is he to do? – yet ultimately Kalba look like slipping quietly from the division.
Expect Fujairah to remain. The east coast club endured a taxing pre-season – thanks, in large part, to Jorge Valdivia's on/off transfer – but astute acquisitions have added quality and experience. Madjid Bougherra and Hassan Yebda represented Algeria at the 2014 World Cup, while Boubacar Sanogo, although much older, returns to the league where he enjoyed the most prolific period of his career.
Fujairah are even talking about a top-six finish. That may be optimistic, but they are certainly strong enough to last beyond next May.
Who will be this season’s surprise package?
Every year, a club far exceeds expectations. Last season, Sharjah went from promotion to competing for an Asian Champions League spot.
In 2012/13, Baniyas, ninth the previous campaign, were fourth. Ajman, promoted in 2011/12 and expected to fight against relegation, not only survived but thrived, finishing seventh.
This season should be no different. While the title appears a three-way tussle between Al Ahli, Al Ain and Al Jazira, fourth spot has several contenders. Al Nasr, Al Wahda, Sharjah and Al Shabab will anticipate claiming it, with Wahda appearing the most able. The Abu Dhabi side created their own waves late last season, losing once in their final 15 league matches. From nowhere, they finished as runners-up.
However, their renaissance under Jose Peseiro ensures they cannot qualify as a "surprise package". For that, look to the capital's outsiders, both figuratively and geographically. Baniyas, forever in constant flux, could join the race for Champions League qualification.
Granted, Luis Garcia is their ninth manager in four seasons, but he has been clever enough to bring in players to help ease the adaptation process. A Spaniard, he has recruited compatriots Joan Verdu and Angel Dealbert, a pair with substantial Primera Liga experience. Kim Jung-woo performed well at Sharjah last season, while Carlos Munoz will be better with a year in the UAE under his belt. In 2013/14, he scored 14 goals in 21 league matches.
Baniyas might have lost Nawaf Mubarak and Mohammed Fawzi, two of their most influential Emiratis, but Amer Abdulrahman has returned, finally, from injury. The UAE international, a midfield metronome, is among the most talented local players in the division.
There are reasons why Baniyas should not impress. But that would be no surprise.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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