RUMBLINGS AT BANIYAS
In the news for his confrontation with Amer Abdulrahman in their last match, Baniyas coach Luis Garcia has his sights set on the club’s management this time, accusing them of misleading him.
“I cannot understand the administration,” he reportedly said after the 2-1 defeat at home to Al Wahda. “When I joined the club, I was told we had a strong team, but I don’t see them anywhere close to some of the top clubs in the country at the moment.”
The Spaniard then went on to bemoan the absence of a second striker to support Chilean Carlos Munoz.
His complaints seem a bit strange. Garcia must have known he was taking over a team that finished ninth last season, winning only one of their last 10 league matches and losing eight. He still accepted the “challenge”, as he said on his arrival in mid July.
Garcia has been working with the team since and so should have known they needed a second striker. Instead, he chose to bring in a centre-back (Angel Dealbert) and two midfielders (Joan Verdu and Kim Jung-woo).
Three games into a season, then, is not a great time to request a second striker.
Before his arrival, Garcia must have been aware about another important detail – Baniyas have used nine coaches over the past four seasons and not one of them lasted a full campaign. Jorvan Vieira’s reign in the 2011/12 season was a mere three league matches.
So, stay tuned to find out which will arrive at Baniyas first – a new striker or a new coach.
AL DHAFRA MAKE CHANGES
Buoyed by their success last season, which included a run to the semis of the President’s Cup, Dhafra started their preparations early, signing Brazilian striker Paulinho in May and then completing their foreign quartet in mid-June with a deal for Argentine international Matias Defederico.
The club seem to be regretting those decisions and are looking to replace Paulinho and Defederico.
Three draws from three games – two of them away from home – apparently do not meet the club’s expectations, and media reports yesterday claimed they have signed Moroccan Youssef Kaddioui, who was turned away by Emirates this month, as one of two replacements.
“They both did well in training camp but the league is totally different, and we are now looking to make a change,” Dhafra chairmanKhalifa Al Tunaiji said.
Perhaps, the difference between their performance in the league and the training camp in the Netherlands could be blamed on the weather?
Makhete Diop fainted in the dressing room after the 0-0 draw at Fujairah and had to be admitted to hospital – and he has been playing in the UAE since 2011. So spare a thought for the likes of Defederico.
Al Tunaiji’s statement should also reignite the debate over the worth of training camps in the cooler climes of Europe.
WILL HUGO VIANA CONTINUE?
Rumours over the past week have suggested defending champions Al Ahli are in the market to find a replacement for the injured Ciel as they are not convinced about Hugo Viana.
The thumping win at Al Wasl could change perceptions. Viana and Mirel Radoi did a great job together in the midfield, and the return of Grafite to the starting XI was a huge boost. It clearly showed in Luis Jimenez’s performance, at least.
Of course, Ahli had a bit of luck.
Wasl were down to 10 men in the 37th minute after Ahmed Al Shamisi decided to mock the referee for a booking. The penalty, which gave Ahli a 2-1 lead earlier, was debatable.
They had the numerical advantage at Sharjah as well.
The humbling 4-2 loss to Al Shabab at home has, as Cosmin Olaroiu wished, jolted them out of their slumber. The journey should be a bit smoother now and hopefully Viana will get to ride along.
EISA AHMED WILL BE MISSED
With nine wins on the trot and 246 days without a defeat, Jose Peseiro’s men look the biggest threat to Ahli’s title-defence at present.
Al Wahda have marched on despite the absence of players such as Hamdan Al Kamali and Ismail Matar, but the departure of Eisa Ahmed could be a problem.
The Ahli-bound defender has played a crucial part in Wahda’s success and Peseiro is understandably not too excited about losing him – you can, though, trust the Portuguese to come up with alternatives.
Reports suggest he is trying to convince the current team manager Fahad Masood to come out of retirement and the 33 year old looks set to oblige.
Masood has been training with the team through the summer, but getting back to the rigours of professional football will not be easy.
That points to Ahmed’s departure hurting Wahda’s chances.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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