No AGL title glory for Al Ain
They ended last season as one of the country’s in-form teams, won the President’s Cup in May, improved their squad in the summer and on Tuesday will contest the first leg of their Asian Champions League semi-final against Al Hilal of Saudi Arabia.
Things are looking up for Al Ain. Just do not expect them to recapture the Arabian Gulf League title this season. They will improve on last season's dismal sixth-place finish. But win it? No, not yet.
Since taking over in February, manager Zlatko Dalic has quickly and successfully stamped his influence on the team. Now he could be a victim of his own, and his players’, success.
The 2014/15 season promises to be one of continuous distractions.
The Asian Champions League is part of it. It is a trophy the club have coveted since their only previous success, in 2003 under Bruno Metsu.
International disruptions also will take a toll. The UAE are gearing up for the Gulf Cup of Nations in Saudi Arabia in November, followed by the Asian Cup in Australia in January. The demands on Al Ain's significant contingent in the squad during that period, including Omar Abdulrahman, could prove more harmful than for other clubs. The African Cup of Nations also will take a lot out of Ghanaian top scorer and captain Asamoah Gyan.
Exhausted, Al Ain’s international stars will fall just short of title glory.
Al Jazira dark horses
Unlike the two teams who finished above them in the AGL last year, Jazira will have relatively less to distract them, until the 2015 Asian Champions League group stages start in February.
Ali Mabkhout, Khamis Ismail and Ali Kasheif will certainly be missed when on international duty, but thanks to the club’s astute summer transfers, less so than the UAE internationals at Al Ain and Al Ahli.
Mirko Vucinic’s move from Juventus is arguably the AGL signing of the summer. Meanwhile, the retention of the Brazilian Jucilei da Silva, now registered as an Asian player after receiving Palestinian citizenship, and the introduction of the young Argentine Manuel Lanzini hint at a first genuine challenge for the title since the glory days of 2011.
Coach Eric Gerets knows last season’s third-place finish represented success of sorts and, with Champions League football guaranteed in the spring, he will be under less pressure than managers Zlatko Dalic and Cosmin Olaroiu.
Are Al Jazira good enough to take advantage? One thing is certain: they will never have a better chance.
Finally, big moves
The spotlight this season will be on Emirati football and Emirati footballers. With the nation’s finest talent in the shop window thanks to their international commitments, this season could be the one that finally sees long-awaited big moves abroad materialise.
For some, such as Omar Abdulrahman, it is increasingly a case of now or never. Expected to shine for the UAE in Saudi Arabia and Australia, the window for him to move to a top European league closes a bit more with every season he decides to stick it out in the AGL.
Others, like Ahmed Khalil of Al Ahli, may need to move to a new environment, even another AGL club, to recapture their spark and, more importantly, to get regular starts.
UAE captain Ismail Matar has come out in support of the movement of top local players abroad, as well as greater movement between Emirati clubs.
Success in Saudi Arabia or Australia could prove the turning point.
Amer Abdulrahman’s comeback
Injuries kept him out for long periods last season, but Amer Abdulrahman looks to be back to his best. Even at this stage, he is the frontrunner for comeback player of the season.
Before the first ball has been kicked in the domestic season, the Baniyas midfielder has already excelled at the heart of the UAE team during their recent training camp in Austria. Playing in his favoured holding midfield role, alongside Omar Abdulrahman, he looked his usual calm self, hardly wasting a pass. For Baniyas, it will be like having signed a new player.
Match attendances to remain poor
The UAE’s participation in the Gulf Cup and Asian Cup will enforce two major breaks in the domestic season, and many AGL fans are expected to invest more time and emotion in the national team over their clubs, most of whom already suffer from chronically low attendance.
Success for manager Mahdi Ali’s national team could, in theory, trigger a feel-good factor that would fuel higher interest in the AGL, although that did not happen after the Gulf Cup success in Bahrain last year.
Worryingly, the league could suffer a loss of interest if the national team performs poorly. Football fatigue also is possible, when the AGL restarts after the Asian Cup. The league may be getting better in terms of quality on the pitch, but fans in the stands could diminish.
akhaled@thenational.ae
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