The UAE made it to the World Cup once, in 1990, but there is a strong belief they can qualify again in four years. John McAuley looks at five issues facing Mahdi Ali’s men:
Keeping influential players fit
Judging by the injury record of a few of the side’s standout performers, this is a genuine concern.
The Abdulrahmans, Omar and Amer, are arguably the UAE’s most instrumental players, but Omar had two serious knee surgeries before his 21st birthday and Amer, 24, spent most of last season out with the same problem.
Omar’s 2013/14 season was punctuated by injury, too. The two ply their trade in the middle of the pitch, constantly evading and riding challenges.
Meanwhile, Rashid Eisa, a mainstay of the 2012 Olympics team, has not featured for Al Wasl for almost 18 months and is almost forgotten as one of his country’s go-to midfielders. Also, Ahmed Khalil’s body is prone to breaking down.
Most of this generation, having worked their way through various age groups, have played a substantial amount of competitive football already.
The squad, undoubtedly talented, is undeniably thin. It requires considerable thickening to take the strain of its leading lights.
Depth in defence and attack
Mahdi Ali has been blessed with a wealth of midfield talent, so much so that choosing the right combination with everyone fit will provide one of his most difficult problems.
If only he had that quandary at the heart of defence and in attack. Hamdan Al Kamali remains first choice, usually alongside Ismail Ahmed, but thereafter the options are limited.
Walid Abbas, the team’s finest defender, can slot in from full-back, and there are Mohanad Salem and Fares Juma at Al Ain, although neither is a confident selection.
Up front, too, the UAE have a prolific partnership in Khalil and Ali Mabkhout, but with Ismail Matar the only other trusted contender for that role, Mahdi Ali could do with a few graduates from the age-group sides.
Especially as, should the UAE qualify for Russia, it is conceivable Matar, 31, may by then have hung up his boots. Likewise, Ismail Ahmed, 30, and Walid Abbas, who is 29 next week.
Successful 2015 Asian Cup
Even before the draw was made in March, Mahdi Ali had set the target of a semi-finals spot in Australia early next year. Placed in Group C alongside Iran, Qatar and Bahrain – all Arabian Gulf sides – the UAE will be confident of at least making the quarters.
They defeated Qatar and Bahrain en route to last year’s Gulf Cup title so, match those results and their final fixture against powerhouse Iran will hold the key to their last-four chances.
Finish top and the UAE would most likely avoid Japan in the quarter-final. A successful tournament is paramount.
Mahdi Ali’s side are riding the crest of a wave – last week’s 4-3 defeat to Armenia halted a 20-match unbeaten run – and momentum is vital going into the World Cup qualifiers.
This relatively young group of UAE players has enjoyed prolonged prosperity. Fail to impress at the Asian Cup and it would be an untimely shock to the system.
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Favourable draw for 2018
No matter where they stand in Fifa’s world rankings, the UAE will have to face one of Asia’s big four – Japan, Iran, South Korea or Australia – on the road to Russia. Continued success is crucial as the higher their ranking, the easier the path to the World Cup.
Mahdi Ali’s side are the seventh best-ranked team in Asia at 67, but have designs on catching Jordan (64) and Australia (59).
In qualification for Brazil, as Asia’s 15th-ranked country, they were placed in Pot 3 in the third qualifying round and given a tougher group. If they sat inside the continent’s top five, they would have made Pot 1, which would have cleared the way to the final round of qualifying and, potentially, the finals – in theory.
No matter the rankings, and with tweaks to qualification for 2018, the UAE will have to be at their best to progress.
A kind draw in St Petersburg next July would significantly help their cause.
Put down roots on home soil
It is a football adage that, whatever the competition, if you want to be successful, you have to win your home matches. Yet in qualifying for the global tournament, the UAE have proved extremely hospitable hosts.
Take their 2014 World Cup campaign: granted, they were just as poor on the road, but the opening defeat to Kuwait in Al Ain set the tone for the whole qualification run. Two months later, South Korea departed Dubai with the points and the UAE finished bottom.
In 2010, they made it to qualification’s final round on their away form but then took a solitary point from four matches in the Emirates.
They are better equipped now – since the November 2011 defeat to South Korea, the UAE are unbeaten at home in 11 matches, winning 10 – but amid the pressure of World Cup qualification, convincing Emirati football fans to attend and help make the UAE a fortress could be central to their chances.
Also read:
Old faces will be key to qualifying
Stars of the future could make difference
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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