A tightly wound April night at the Rashid Stadium quickly gave way to unrestrained celebration. Requiring only a point to confirm, finally, a sixth UAE championship, Al Ahli overcame Al Wasl in Dubai to take all three.
Three points to clinch the title with three matches to spare. Three fingers – the gesture made popular by the emirate’s ruler – held up by players and management, in full view of all the cameras, for all of the Emirates to see.
At last, Ahli were undisputedly the best team in the land. Five years of toil, stretching across at times tumultuous terrain, had borne fruit. This most-recent road was rather rocky, too.
Cosmin Olaroiu, the coach cajoled from Al Ain last summer, had been banned from the touchline for six months. He was threatened with deportation.
Yet, Catalin Raducan, Olaroiu’s assistant, handled with aplomb the media and the matches, especially when an already light squad began to creak under the strain of expectation and a schedule that covered four competitions.
That Ahli got the job done, and with room to spare, should not be underestimated.
But, then again, it was not a surprise.
They had considerably enhanced the club with Olaroiu and, on the playing side, had acquired Ciel, Walid Abbas and Hugo Viana.
Each proved a razor-sharp signing; each played an integral role in the title triumph, the League Cup success, the journey to the President’s Cup final and the agonising exit from the Asian Champions League group stage.
Ahli have set the bar high.
This season requires further improvement; it simply must be better. For that, Mirel Radoi and Habib Fardan have been recruited, with the latter particularly exciting. Majed Nasser, the expert goalkeeper, is back and free from injury. The only concern is that Ahli may be wiser, but they are a little older, a little more jaded.
Grafite is 35, Radoi 33, Ciel 32 and Luis Jimenez 30. Is there the stamina for another ceaseless campaign? Or the hunger?
Those could be their greatest obstacles.
FOREIGN PLAYERS
Grafite
Captain marvel. The Brazilian shows little sign of slowing down despite having celebrated his 35th birthday in April. Has led Ahli’s frontline brilliantly since his 2011 transfer, scoring 59 goals in 66 league matches. Robust, he relies a lot on his physical prowess. Age must catch up with him eventually, though, so this season we could see Grafite begin to decline.
Luis Jimenez
Qualifies as the club’s Asian player, so his future looks secure. The midfielder, 30, had an inconsistent season last term, although he still possesses the ability to create opportunities for teammates. Young Iraqi international Huma Tariq is also on Ahli’s books. Tariq, 18, who impressed at the last Gulf Cup, is yet to make his competitive debut for Ahli, so a loan deal looks likely this season.
Ciel
The mercurial forward was an inspired signing last season, chipping in with 11 league goals. However, Ciel’s influence is much greater because he often draws the focus of opposition defenders, which in turn creates space on the opposite flank for Ismail Al Hammadi to thrive. The Brazilian is quick and possesses a bag load of tricks, but can tire significantly as games progress.
Mirel Radoi
Signed from rivals Al Ain, the Romanian joins forces with Olaroiu at a fourth club. Radoi is a technically proficient midfielder, yet question marks exist over his fitness – last season he played only 15 league matches. Radoi is likely to replace Hugo Viana. The Portuguese midfielder was voted in the AGL team of the year for 13/14. So it is a surprise that he could be surplus to requirements.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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