In February, Carlo Nohra, the Pro League chief executive, described Asia's continental club competition as "a gauge of how we're doing relative to our neighbours".
Even taking into account the rousing victories by Al Ain and Emirates on Tuesday night, the Asian Champions League (ACL) has again led to unflattering comparisons for UAE sides.
The "four-clubs, four-bottom-sides" disappointment in the 2010 group stages may be avoided this year, but it remains unlikely the UAE will be represented by a team in the knockout phase for the first time since 2007.
The 2011 competition has revealed anew the competitive priorities among in-form Pro League sides. To wit: winning the league or President's Cup is still far more important than the Asian club competition.
Al Jazira this year, and Al Wahda last, showed an unwillingness to damage their chances of winning the two most important trophies by taxing their first XI with ACL duty.
Abel Braga, Jazira's coach, said in March that he wanted the Pro League leaders and new President's Cup winners to be "the best team in Asia". But after being held 0-0 at home in the ACL by a cynical Al Gharafa side and suffering a 5-1 rout away to Sepahan, Braga reviewed his priorities and, twice now, has sent out a second team for an ACL match while husbanding his resources for the cup and league.
It can be no coincidence that the most successful UAE side in ACL play this year have been Emirates, who are not even in the Pro League. They gained an ACL berth with their surprise President's Cup victory last year even while on their way to relegation from the top flight.
But they kept their top foreigners, the Moroccan striker Nabil Daoudi and the Algerian attacking players Hadj Bougueche and Karim Kerkar, and have been able to focus all their energy and attention on the ACL. They have led in all four games they have played, and if they can wrest a point at home on May 3 from the group leaders Zob Ahan of Iran, they could yet reach the second round.
The third UAE victory, from the first 14 ACL games, belonged to Al Ain, who also have known for months they would not win the cup or league.
They put their best team on the pitch in the 1-0 victory over Hangzhou Greentown on Tuesday, but they may yet regret it if the first XI look jaded in the league game against Baniyas on Sunday. Al Ain cannot win the league for a record 10th time, but they could be relegated for the first, and their enthusiasm for further ACL exertions may be tempered by the necessity to avoid being sent down to the First Division.
Wahda are in a sort of neither-nor zone. They remained in contention for the President's Cup during the first three rounds of the ACL, and they may now rue playing their best in a 3-0 home loss to Al Ittihad five days before a 4-0 defeat to Jazira in the cup final. Wahda clearly were exhausted at the end of one hour, when the score was only 1-0.
The subtext here is that UAE sides apparently are not built to chase three major trophies at once. One all-out pursuit can be accomplished. Two is dicey. Three seems impossible.
It was Braga who before the President's Cup final conceded that Jazira in 2010 "tried to win everything and won nothing".
They made winning the cup and league their 2011 focus, and the UAE's best side are close to reaching those goals - perhaps as a direct result of giving up on the ACL early.
Closer examination of the depth of talent in Pro League sides may be warranted. Clubs from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Japan and South Korea seem to have the numbers to chase multiple trophies. UAE sides clearly must make choices, and the ACL often is abandoned first, no matter how it may look to the neighbours.
