Dalic was widely expected to be given the boot at the end of last season before a dramatic board reshuffle saw the Croatian remain at the helm.
And despite claiming three trophies during his two-year tenure thus far, Dalic knows he must quickly turnaround the club’s fortunes after a highly disappointing season that saw them lose ground on domestic and continental opponents alike.
Will Dalic return Al Ain to the top of UAE and Asian football in the upcoming season?
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NO MORE FOREIGN FLOPS
Conflicting stories exist about who ultimately sanctioned the Boss’ generally awful transfer business in 2015/16. No matter who is to blame, the same mistakes cannot be made again. Ryan Babel and Emmanuel Emenike were predictably poor and ditched by January, while Danilo Asprilla frustrates.
BECOME A CONTINENTAL KING
The UAE’s most-decorated club has long set its sights beyond the country’s borders. They will rarely have a better opportunity this time to lift the AFC Champions League since their only win 13 years ago (below). All the Saudi teams are out in the west, while holders Guangzhou Evergrande didn’t pass their group. Dalic must strike now.
Al Ain’s only ACCL win came in 2003.
UNSEAT THE RED KNIGHTS
To stop rampant Al Ahli next season will be the greatest challenge of all for Dalic. The Red Knights lavished record sums on Khamis Esmail and Moussa Sow, turning this transfer splurge into trophies with a dominant AGL win. The rumblings about coach Cosmin Olaroiu’s future helps, but Ahli are sure to still be formidable.
DISCOVER HIS SQUAD DEPTH
Rashed Essa is largely unused.
It was clear to see from Dalic’s selections he had his favourites. Stars such as Khalid Esssa, Omar Abdulrahman, Fellipe Bastos and – since January – Douglas, nearly always played when fit. Yet this led to burnout down the stretch. Players like Rashed Essa (above), Ahmed Barman, Fawzi Fayez and Helal Saeed should be used more.
LEARN TO STOP THE ROT
One worrying theme during Dalic’s reign has been an inability to rebound. In 2014/15, semi-final elimination from the President’s Cup was followed by an ACL exit. Midway through last term, a pair of ACL losses to El Jaish contributed to four defeats in seven in all competitions. This must stop.