AL AIN // Zlatko Dalic says Al Ain must eradiate the mistakes that have blighted their past two performances, although he remains confident his players will soon get back to winning ways.
The UAE champions opened their Asian Champions League account on Wednesday, losing 2-1 to Qatari side El Jaish at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, despite creating numerous opportunities to win.
It marked Al Ain’s second successive defeat, coming days after last week’s loss to Al Shabab in the Arabian Gulf League — a result that meant Al Ain dropped to second in the table with seven matches remaining. Al Ahli, their Dubai rivals, now hold a one-point advantage at the top of the standings.
Both the Shabab and the Jaish matches were decided by a number of errors made by Al Ain, something Dalic was keen to emphasise on Wednesday.
However, with next week’s return fixture at Jaish to come, and Saturday’s President’s Cup last-16 encounter against Division One’s Kalba in between, the Croat coach is certain his team will get back on track in their quest for three pieces of silverware.
“Maybe we’re in a bad time, but we must pass this bad time and be the strongest we can be,” Dalic said. “I will not give up, I will not stop working hard. Everything is open, everything is in our hands, but we must learn from this game and these mistakes we make.
“We are going to Jaish to win the game and we can do it. We need a little more luck, yes, because we created lots of chances. But we need to work. Always, I am confident that we can win.”
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