DUBAI // A solid start for Al Ahli may not necessarily mean a one-sided affair in the league and Ahmed Rizvi points out a few grey areas
The Arabian Gulf League’s chasing pack must have finally heaved a sigh of relief.
After watching Al Ahli’s blazing start, with seven wins from their first seven games, they must have been tempted to repeat Walter Zenga’s line from a season ago when he said that only a “traffic light” could prevent Al Ain from running away with the league.
Last Friday, however, Sharjah gave them some hope with a battling performance to bring Ahli’s winning start to an end.
The leaders had a six-point lead at the top until then and, while they are still ahead by four after the 1-1 draw, the difference now looks a lot more chaseable.
And then, there is still a long way to the finish line. But a word of caution here.
None of the champions of the past the past dozen seasons have enjoyed as good a start in the league as Ahli’s current campaign.
The last title winners to drop only two points after eight weeks were Al Wahda in 2000/01 and they went on to finish five points clear of Ahli.
Last season, Al Ain had dropped five points by this stage and yet they finished with a comfortable nine-point lead. The lowest total after eight games was Al Wasl’s 16 points in 2006/07.So, if history is any indication, the likes of Al Shabab, Baniyas, Sharjah and Al Ain are facing an uphill battle.
But, as most managers are so fond of saying, history matters little on the pitch. Nothing can be taken for granted and Shabab’s season until now is proof of that.
When the pundits were making their predictions before the start of the season, not many, if any, had fancied the chances of Shabab, a club with limited resources and one of the smallest fan bases among the top-flight clubs.
And to the dismay of those limited fans, the club management decided to cash-in on their two best players of 2012/13 – Walid Abbas and Ciel.
Yet, they are second in the table and they could have been in an even better position, if not for the surprising 2-1 loss at Al Shaab.
The Brazilian pair of Edgar Bruno, who has scored six goals in the last two matches, and Adeilson have made sure Ciel’s absence is not felt, while the return of Carlos Villanueva brings class and experience to their midfield and lessened the burden on the hard-working Azizbek Haydarov.
Marcos Paqueta, the manager, has also not been shy of blooding youngsters and they have delivered.
Paqueta is now hoping his team can stay close to the leaders and finish the first-half of the season in second place.
“The difference in points between the teams is not great and there is still a long way to go,” he said.
“A lot of the team are missing some important players because of injuries and when they are back at full strength, the competition for the top spots will only intensify.”
Wahda have suffered the most in the injury stakes and last week, new manager Jose Peseiro lamented the absence of six important players.
Baniyas have also been missing some key players, including Amer Abdulrahman, who underwent a cruciate ligament surgery in Italy last week.
Even without their talented playmaker, Baniyas have shown themselves to be a dangerous unit with new arrivals Carlos Munoz and Luis Farina proving to be a formidable duo upfront.
With Quique Sanchez Flores in charge, Al Ain have also been on the mend and their match against Baniyas tomorrow could be a great indicator about the two teams moving forward.
“The levels of the top teams seems to be very close, so it is very difficult to talk about the title now,” said the Baniyas coach Jorge da Silva. “Perhaps, we will have a clearer picture in the second half of the season.”
With only 10 points separating the top eight, the race is indeed too close to predict. Only two points separate six teams behind Ahli and Shabab and many of them will be looking strengthen their squads in January transfer window.
Wasl have already been linked with the likes of Ronaldinho and Victor Simoes, and if those rumours were to come true, the second half of the league could be an intriguing affair as well.
So the best start in a dozen years might not be enough. Ahli will have to keep moving at full steam, and they might still be looking over their shoulders until the finish line.
arizvi@thenational.ae
Key games in the coming weeks
Tomorrow
Baniyas v Al Ain
Big winners in the last round, both Baniyas (beat Al Shaab 4-0) and Al Ain (beat Emirates 5-3) are full of confidence, but this game could define their challenge for the title.
Tomorrow
Al Ahli v Al Jazira
Held to a 1-1 draw by Sharjah in the last round, Ahli will be looking for three points to keep their lead intact, especially if Al Shabab win at Al Wahda today.
Saturday, December 14
Al Shabab v Al Nasr
A potential banana skin for Shabab as Nasr have shown themselves to be dangerous with victories over Baniyas and Al Jazira until now.
Sunday, December 15
Sharjah v Baniyas
Another crucial game for Baniyas as they try to finish among the top three in the first half. Sharjah very capable of spoiling their chances.
Friday, December 20
Al Ahli vs Al Shabab
If both teams can keep their place at the top of the table until the 11th round, then this has the potential to be the biggest game of the season.
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AGUERO'S PREMIER LEAGUE RECORD
Apps: 186
Goals: 127
Assists: 31
Wins: 117
Losses: 33
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Renault Megane
Price, base / as tested Dh52,900 / Dh59,200
Engine 1.6L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission Continuously variable transmission
Power 115hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 156Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.6L / 100km
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
How it works
1) The liquid nanoclay is a mixture of water and clay that aims to convert desert land to fertile ground
2) Instead of water draining straight through the sand, it apparently helps the soil retain water
3) One application is said to last five years
4) The cost of treatment per hectare (2.4 acres) of desert varies from $7,000 to $10,000 per hectare
The Vines - In Miracle Land
Two stars
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlmouneer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dr%20Noha%20Khater%20and%20Rania%20Kadry%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEgypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E120%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBootstrapped%2C%20with%20support%20from%20Insead%20and%20Egyptian%20government%2C%20seed%20round%20of%20%3Cbr%3E%243.6%20million%20led%20by%20Global%20Ventures%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)
Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')
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Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
SRI LANKA SQUAD
Upul Tharanga (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella
Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana
Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna
Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera
Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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INFO
What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com