Not easy replacing Pinga, admits Wahda coach

Hickersberger misses services of midfielder, now at Al Ahli, but is looking to rebuild team and asks the club fans to be patient.

ABU DHABI // Josef Hickersberger starts his second spell at Al Wahda tonight, but admits he will has lost a vital member of his title-winning team.

"Pinga was a key player in winning the league," the Austrian said.

"He was the second best scorer for the club. He created a lot of goals and was very dangerous in the set pieces. It takes time to replace such players."

The Brazilian midfielder, 29, joined Al Ahli, the Dubai club, in the summer after they offered him a three-year contract rather than the one year on offer at Wahda. He even scored a penalty for Ahli in a 2-1 win against Sharjah last night.

"It's up to me to find different solutions and strike a good balance with the players in the squad," Hickersberger said. "I would like to bring in more players inside the box. The defence has been solid and that was another reason why we won the league."

Hickersberger, 63, resigned after four months as the national team coach of Bahrain to return to the Pro League earlier this month. His first match back in charge is against Al Shabab tonight (KO 5.10pm) at the Al Nahyan Stadium.

Hugo, another Brazilian, signed as the replacement for Pinga, is suffering from a sore back and is doubtful for the game, leaving Hickersberger with a selection problem.

"He hasn't trained in the last few days," he said. "He is unlikely to play but we may still have him on the bench."

The coach is convinced his Emirati contingent have the ability to win another title and is aiming to turn the Al Nahyan Stadium into a fortress.

"We won all the home games last season and that was also one of the reasons that we won the league," said Hickersberger. "If we play true to our potential, which I'm very hopeful of from this team, we will still be able to win.

"We don't take any opponent lightly, but we have more classy Emirati players than Shabab."

Hickersberger signed a two-year contract with the Bahrain Football Association in June, but returned to Wahda after Tite, the previous manager, returned to Brazil to take charge of Corinthians.

"When I got the offer to return to Wahda, I was happy, because I was returning to a club where I had spent a year-and-a-half and had some success," Hickersberger said. "I had different reasons to leave Bahrain and one of them is that I did not want to travel to Yemen for the Gulf Cup.

"As a football coach I can lose the job, but I don't want to put my life at risk by travelling to places where security is a concern."

Hickersberger has been following the Pro League closely in his absence and has picked the Abu Dhabi duo of Al Jazira and Baniyas as well as Al Wasl as the biggest threats to his side's title chances.

"Jazira are playing [best] of all teams," he said. "They are the most consistent. And it is not a surprise Baniyas are doing well. They are a young side with a lot of potential. Wasl are playing well and they are also on the title path."

5.05pm, Abu Dhabi Sports