Al Ahli boss Cosmin Olaroiu insists his side’s proven Arabian Gulf League pedigree can keep them ahead of their big-spending rivals this season.
The reigning champions have enjoyed a stable summer, opting for a policy of continuity as they plot the defence of their title.
A sizeable fee was paid to prise UAE international Habib Fardan from Al Nasr but the free transfer acquisition of Mirel Radoi was their only other significant foray into the market.
Their title rivals have been busy luring exotic foreign stars as they bid to bridge the 16-point gap the Red Knights enjoyed at the top of the table last term.
And it is that sheer dominance which convinces Cosmin the last thing his squad needed was a summer overhaul.
“I never make changes just for the sake of making changes,” he said ahead of Ahli’s AGL opener at Sharjah tonight.
“We have a team that has proven that it is a competitive one. We play with lots of discipline. We preferred not to make too many changes. Change can be positive but can also bring about negatives.
“Other teams maybe found the need to strengthen their squads and made several additions. Our goal was to maintain the positives we had and we only made changes where necessary.”
However, the Romanian, who is gunning for a fourth straight title after previous successes with Al Ain, admits it will be harder for his side with a target on their back.
“It’s very difficult to defend (the title),” he added. “All the attention is on you, everyone is treating you differently and is preparing for the games against you differently.
“But as long as I am here, my players have only one choice, which is to win and only to win.” Meanwhile, Al Wahda coach Jose Peseiro has urged his players to pick up where they left off last season.
Wahda, who entertain Kalba tonight, finished strongly to sneak second place, and the Portuguese said: “The final weeks of the season should give to us good confidence.
“But I repeat for my players, the confidence for us can only give us more capacity for work, more motivation, more ambition and more responsibility.
“We need to take that confidence and use it to improve our job.”