Sebastian Tagliabue has his sights set on the Arabian Gulf League’s top scorer prize but hopes his goals come in conjunction with success for Al Wahda this season.
The Argentine centre forward has been in lethal form during the first few months of the campaign, even though Javier Aguirre’s side have endured differing fortunes. As the club has meandered to four defeats, a draw and three wins in their eight top-flight matches,
Tagliabue has soared to head the scoring charts with 10 strikes.
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He is clear, however, when he says he would swap personal glory for silverware with the men from Al Nahyan Stadium.
“For sure winning the top scorer award is something I would like to achieve,” said the 30-year-old, ahead of tomorrow’s trip to high-flying Emirates Club.
“But I always say the first for me is the group. I prefer that [rather] than to be top scorer, because we are a group and this is a team sport.”
Meanwhile, defender Walid Abbas has insisted Al Ahli will not wallow in AFC Champions League final defeat and have instead gained confidence from their historic run.
The Red Knights fell to a 1-0 aggregate loss to Chinese heavyweights Guangzhou Evergrande, forward Elkeson scoring the only goal last weekend at a riotous Tianhe Stadium.
They return to domestic action tonight, looking to extend their 100-per-cent winning start during misfiring Al Shabab’s visit.
“We are happy we reached the final,” said 30-year-old Abbas, who joined from the Hawks two years ago.
“I think after these strong games, we will gain more confidence for the future in the league.”
Concentration is the key if Al Wasl are to achieve their ambitions, according to boss Gabriel Calderon
The Cheetahs have won three of their previous four top-flight fixtures to climb the table, with the aberration a shoddy 4-2 loss to Emirates.
Their mettle will be tes-ted tomorrow by the visit of fourth-placed Bani Yas and Calderon urged his troops to stay switched on.
Calderon said: “We have previously failed because of the level of focus, but we have regained this. I continue to work on the defensive line, as receiving four goals from Al Ahli or Al Ain may be acceptable but it is not from Emirates Club.”
Friday’s other fixture sees an East Coast derby, Fujairah hosting newly-promoted Dibba Al Fujairah at the shared Fujairah Stadium.