We have a phrase in Italy which roughly translates to, “in the morning you see a good day”. That applies to the early weeks of the Arabian Gulf League season.
Things can look really good now, but in time, they may change.
Al Wahda top the table after winning their opening three games, while Al Ain and Al Shabab have triumphed in the two they have played. Wahda did not play to their maximum when beating Bani Yas 2-1.
They were without injured playmaker Damian Diaz, who is the heart of the team. Jose Peseiro’s side have now won their last nine top-flight games, including the run to second last season. That is incredible.
When I refer back to the phrase about the morning, clearly Wahda’s form has been superb for a long time now. It is similar for Al Ain.
They finished sixth last season, but won the President’s Cup in May and are in the AFC Champions League semi-finals. They thrashed Ajman 4-0, with UAE star Omar Abdulrahman playing a deeper central midfield role again. Omar is a huge talent, any coach would be lucky to have him. He has great touch, vision and movement. You can play him anywhere, centre, left or right, and he will cause problems.
He is so hard to play against, with one of your options being to man-mark him. I tried that in the ACL round of 16, second-leg match last season when I was in charge of Al Jazira.
He is so smart and evasive that he will cause you disciplinary issues, as the marker can get booked. In regards to Tuesday’s decider with Al Hilal, they are 3-0 down but I always have the philosophy that you come into a game at 0-0.
You never know what can happen when you believe in big things. Al Shabab’s enthusiasm will be so high after following their victory against Al Ahli with a 2-1 win against Al Nasr.
Their system is very interesting, with forward Henrique Luvannor scoring three goals in two games. But, we still do not know where Shabab will finish.
Al Ain and Wahda now have consistent records of success. Can Caio Junior’s men match them in the weeks to come? Ahli are the champions and what a fantastic performance it was from them to beat Al Wasl 5-1 after what happened against Shabab.
Any great team in the world can suffer one nightmare at any time. But with the squad they have, it is impossible that they will not compete for all the domestic trophies and to progress from the ACL group stage.
They have signed two of the finest UAE players in Habib Fardan and Essa Santo. Wow, can you imagine? Hat-trick scorer Luis Jimenez and Grafite, who struck a brace, are amazing professionals.
They can change the style and speed of the game at any moment. Great players need a great coach, and Cosmin Olaroiu is on course for his fourth-successive AGL title.
They will be in charge until the end of the season, with everything being possible.