Ibrahim Diaky says there is much more to come from Al Ain this season following the UAE champions’ dismantling of Al Shabab at the weekend.
The Garden City club defeated their rivals 4-1 at the Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium last Friday, ending Shabab's undefeated run and simultaneously moving back to the top of the Arabian Gulf League.
Zlatko Dalic, the Al Ain coach, labelled the victory his side’s best performance of the campaign, a result that stretched their league record to five victories from six matches. They sit one point clear of second-placed Al Nasr.
However, with Al Jazira to come this Friday, and then Baniyas, Nasr and Al Ahli – all title rivals – to follow, Diaky acknowledged Al Ain are now entering a crucial period in the defence of their crown. The midfielder urged his teammates not to rest on their laurels ahead of what could be a season-defining spell for the club.
“Since the season started it’s one of our best games, but I know we have more, that we can give more,” Diaky said. “I’m sure we will get better and better, because this is just the sixth game of the league and there’s many more to come for us.
“So we shouldn’t have in our mind that we’ve beaten Shabab 4-1 and that means everything is done. We have to keep working harder, especially because we’ve stronger games coming: Jazira, Baniyas and Al Ahli. So we need to repeat this kind of game more often.”
Diaky reserved special praise for Fellipe Bastos, the Brazilian midfielder who scored twice against Shabab. Bastos joined Al Ain from Vasco da Gama in July and has been slow to find his feet, but his man-of-the-match display on Friday suggested he could be a major contributor this season.
“He’s a player with a lot of quality. We trust him,” Diaky said. “When he wants he can do it and he showed again he is really helpful to the team. He’s somebody who everyone trusts, so I hope he can always perform like that.”
Emmanuel Emenike, another summer recruit, was also on the scoresheet against Shabab. The Nigerian striker created and converted a penalty that put Al Ain 3-1 up, taking his tally for the season to six goals in seven matches. Emenike, joint-top scorer at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, has the unenviable task of replacing Asamoah Gyan, the hugely prolific forward who now plies his trade in China. Diaky, though, has little doubt Emenike can fill the void left by the Ghanaian.
“It’s the first year for him in the league, so it’s not easy at first,” he said. “But he’s a great striker. He has experience, playing in the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. I know people are waiting for a lot from him, but it is coming slowly. It’s not easy in the beginning, but I’m sure he will get there.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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