Ahead of the sixth round of Arabian Gulf League games, here is a look at some of the hot topics around the division:
Who can stop Al Ahli?
Three wins and a 100 per cent record in the AGL, Al Ahli also top their Arabian Gulf Cup group and on Tuesday they reached the Asian Champions League (ACL) final after edging out Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal 4-3 on aggregate.
Confidence must be sky high at the moment at Ahli and Cosmin Olaroiu, their manager, will now set his sights on chasing down league leaders and champions Al Ain before next month’s two-legged ACL final against China’s Guangzhou Evergrande.
Ahli have played two games less than the rest of the clubs because of their ACL commitments yet they are only three points off the top spot. They have scored 13 and conceded three and go into Sunday’s game against Al Wahda at Al Nahyan Stadium as overwhelming favourites.
Shabab’s positive attitude
Al Shabab are one of four teams that remain undefeated in the AGL. They are also unbeaten in the Arabian Gulf Cup, which is credit to the tactics of their coach, Caio Junior.
The Brazilian took over the Dubai club last summer and took them to a third-place finish in the AGL.
Caio Junior believes his team can win the league. It is a tall order for a club with modest resources but this is the type of approach the coach has inculcated on his players.
Judging by the results they have achieved so far, his concept seems to be working, at least for now.
Vucinic struggles
After an impressive debut season in the AGL, topping the scoring chart with 25 goals in 23 matches, Mirko Vucinic has struggled in his second year at Al Jazira.
The Montenegro international has a solitary goal in four league games and Jazira have suffered an indifferent start, taking just seven points from five league games.
Where has it gone wrong for Vucinic and Jazira? Last season, they scored the highest number of goals (66) but Argentine Manuel Lanzini, Burkinabe winger Jonathan Pitroipa and Jucilei, the Brazilian who played under a Palestine passport, were all shipped out.
Vucinic has yet to click with new recruits Jefferson Farfan, Thiago Neves and Park Jong-woo. Jazira have scored eight and conceded nine, a record that does not reflect well on a team with title ambitions.
apassela@thenational.ae
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