Al Ain and Al Nasr eager to win Arabian Gulf Super Cup despite short off-season

Focus falls on summer acquisitions and tactical shifts as domestic football season begins

Ryan Babel, right, of Al Ain playing in a preseason friendly in July 2015. Courtesy Al Ain

AL AIn // Broadly speaking, the football treats a one-off trophy game in preseason in two ways.

One is to express annoyance at the fact of its existence.

The other is to embrace it as an opportunity to win a trophy because, ultimately, trophies are what matter, no matter their size, name or provenance.

The Arabian Gulf Super Cup, to be contested on Saturday by Al Nasr and Al Ain, is no different. It is not the President’s Cup or the Arabian Gulf League Cup, or the Arabian Gulf League title.

Zlatko Dalic, the Al Ain coach, did little to hide his feelings for the Super Cup, feelings that hovered somewhere between indifference and mild disdain.

Last season’s league champions and arguably the country’s strongest club side, he said, were not fully prepared for the clash.

Much of the attitude to the game stems from its timing. Though it is a 7.40pm kick off in the capital’s Mohammad bin Zayed stadium, mid-August temperatures are hardly ideal for football.

This is a match generally played in September or at the end of August. With the continuing uncertainty over the Gulf Cup, it was only confirmed as a certainty this week.

“Probably we are not prepared at the highest level for the game,” Dalic said. “But we must respect our schedule and the Super Cup. It is just 90 minutes and we can fight for the trophy.

“But my team needs time, especially the foreign players. Maybe it’s better if we played the Super Cup later. Now it is a situation we must accept. it’ll be 42-44 degrees, it’s not human to play (in that heat).”

Given their status as serial winners, Al Ain’s approach is perhaps understandable.

For Nasr, the country’s oldest club, trophies and titles have not been plentiful. They had not won a domestic trophy since 1989 until they did the cup double last season.

Little wonder the Serbian coach Ivan Jovanovic had a little more pep about him in discussing the opportunity to win a title.

The weather, he said, would be a factor but there was eagerness to start again and some pride in being the team that played last season’s first game and the first of this season.

Much of the attention will fall on the clubs’ summer acquisitions and rejigs. In some ways both clubs are in similar ­situations.

Al Nasr have revamped their foreign-player quota and most eyes will be on the Brazilian forward Nilmar, once of Villareal and an international.

Jonathan Pitroipa from Burkina Faso will also be watched eagerly; about AGL stalwarts Luis Jimenez and Renan Garcia, more is known.

“All of them add value to the side,” Jovanovic said.

“What we expect to see is value inside the field. Don’t forget, especially the new boys, will need time to adapt to these conditions. It will not be easy for them. But it’s a good game for them to show their value.”

Al Ain will begin a new era playing their first competitive game post-Asamoah Gyan.

His astounding record – 93 goals in four seasons – suggests he was close to irreplaceable.

More than replacing him, though, the champions just need to move on from him.

The Nigerian Emmanuel Emenike is the assigned replacement, but it is probably wise to not shove him into the shadow of Gyan, expansive as it is.

“You know what Asamoah has meant to the team for four years as top scorer,” Dalic said. “He did a fantastic job, but life has to move forward. We must look to the future and trust new players.

“I know we will miss him, but we must turn our mind forward and get ready for new season. Our players need time.

“Emenike is a good striker and worker. I hope tomorrow will be a first goal for him.”​

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