Quique Sanchez Flores seeks reset for Al Ain

Al Ain can leapfrog hosts Baniyas in the Arabian Gulf League table with away win on Thursday.

Al Ain can only win by scoring more goals, says the coach Quique Sanchez Flores. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

ABU DHABI // Quique Sanchez Flores, the Al Ain coach, has called for “maximum concentration” from his players when they travel to Shamkha in Abu Dhabi for a meeting with Baniyas on Thursday afternoon.

Al Ain put their 1-0 away defeat to bitter rivals Al Ahli, Flores’s first Arabian Gulf League defeat in five games, behind them with a thumping 5-2 home triumph over Emirates last week.

Sanchez Flores, however, insisted his players will have to do more against Baniyas to win another three points.

“We have to be prepared mentally and physically to return with a good result against a tough opponent like Baniyas,” he said. “The only way we can achieve our objective will be by scoring.

“We didn’t have much time to prepare after the last game. Baniyas are tough opponents, as they have some good players that we have to deal with.”

A point separates the two teams on the league table, with Baniyas in third on 14 and Al Ain two places back in fifth after eight games. Both trail league leaders Al Ahli’s total of 22.

As for his team’s approach to the game or the club’s larger objectives for the season, he would not venture a direct response.

“I am not a coach who thinks of the match result before it begins,” Sanchez Flores said. “I can’t control the result. I can only concentrate on preparing the team for the match, and thereafter, analyse the performances. We will then work on correcting the mistakes and prepare for the next match.

“We will see where we stand when it comes to a point when we will have a better idea of our league ambitions, but for now we just want to go out there and win every game.”

Sanchez Flores felt the team has come a long way already. Al Ain were left without a coach when they regrouped in the summer after the shock departure of Cosmin Olariou, who led them to successive league titles before abruptly leaving for Ahli.

They dismissed Olariou’s successor Jorge Fossati after seven weeks and lost two of their first three games under caretaker coach Ahmed Abdullah. Sanchez Flores has taken 10 points from five league games since taking charge of Al Ain in October. The mood seems to be more upbeat.

“The feeling in the changing room is different after the win over Emirates,” the coach said. “The players are happy after the victory over Emirates. I’m looking for winning and I’m working on building the team and style of play. In football, we have good times and bad times, and we are looking ahead for better times.”