The one-month delay in the start of the Arabian Gulf League season likely would not have been welcomed by those in charge of logistics at the country’s elite clubs.
To one of the top fitness coaches in the country, though, the postponement is a boon for both players and fans.
Liam Weeks, head of performance analysis at Al Jazira, said the delay, however it is sorted, will have a positive effect on the players’ health and fitness.
"If they are just postponing the first round of the league and keeping the already-scheduled league cup matches, then it doesn't make too much of an impact on us," the Englishman said.
“It just means all teams will have played competitive matches ahead of the start of the league, which is probably ideal.”
One aspect of the delay that all concede is a bonus is avoiding a month of the UAE’s scorching summer.
“The longer we can avoid playing league matches in the heat the better,” Weeks said.
According to his data from the past six league seasons in the UAE, high-intensity running (anything greater than 5.5 metres per second) goes down by an average of 35 per cent during matches played in August and early September.
“Passing tempo also goes down from an average of a pass every 2.8 seconds in January to a pass every 4.5 seconds in August and early September,” he said.
"Shots, attacking entries and penalty-area entries are also down. In short, the standard of football possible in these extreme conditions is poor."
Several AGL coaches have expressed happiness at the delay. Weeks said starting the AGL in mid-to-late September could improve its public perception.
“The product on the field which the league is trying to sell is not great until the temperatures drop,” he said. “Personally, I would avoid playing the league in August/September and also late April/May, but I’m not sure what the Asian Football Confederation criteria is.”
Some armchair experts might have met news of the delay with disappointment, but the majority of the match-going public will welcome it, Weeks said.
“The early rounds often see poor attendance figures due to the heat,” he said. “Who would want to sit in a roasting stadium sweating when they could sit at home and watch the match on television in the air conditioning?”
Some players will be affected more than others, especially those who will join up with Mahdi Ali's national team for the World Cup qualifiers against Malaysia at home (September 3) and Palestine away (September 8).
“Ali Mabkhout and Khamis Esmail were given additional time off in the summer, due to having a World Cup qualifier against East Timor,” Weeks said. “Our plan was that they would be ready for our first league match that was originally scheduled for August 21 and then would join the national team.”
Now the duo will not have the benefit of that extra match practice when they join the national squad, but Weeks said he does not see it as a major issue.
Beyond the internationals, his concern above all else is the match fitness of the Jazira squad. For him, it is business as usual, even with the delay.
“I don’t think the postponement of the league is a bad thing at all,” he said. “It will allow all teams to play a couple more friendly matches, cup matches and, for some players, World Cup qualifiers.
“These matches will ensure match sharpness. This, together with the slightly lower temperatures in September, will see a higher and quicker standard of football played in the league.”
akhaled@thenational.ae
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