martedì 15 novembre 2011

Next

The UAE are out of the race to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, and their latest two games will be utilized by the head coach Abdullah Al Misfer and by the UAE FA to look forward. UAE have to forget about the qualifying disaster, where they lost all four games so far, and focus on building for the future. Things are gone so wrong for a lot of reasons: players' skills, poor management, no players playing in high-level leagues, etc...the Srecko Katanec's experiment failed but it don't means that UAE have no need of a coach from outside to lead the national team. UAE showed to be a good, not great, team needing of a coach knowing the Asian soccer. They need of a coach able to rise up the motivation of the players. Nobody in the locker room liked Katanec. The next coach needs to build a strong relationship with the players.

mercoledì 9 novembre 2011

Firing lane

Al Ahli's announcement they had sacked their coach Ivan Hasek and appointed former Atletico Madrid manager Quique Sanchez Flores means that there has now been 5 coaching changes in the Pro League. Hasek's departure followed those of Sharjah's Carlos Azenho, Dubai's Nestor Clausen and Umberto Berberis, and Bani Yas' Jorvan Vieira. All the teams had played three league games or less. Al Ahli fans hope their team perform above expectations with Sanchez Flores in charge. Will he have the time? UAE's owners are not patient. They bring on good coaches but don't give them time to fix things. Flores has a strong CV but it was the same for Hasek, a former Czech National Team coach signed on a two-year deal this summer, or for David O'Leary, former Leeds United manager, sacked after just nine months of a three-year contract with Al Ahli. Coaches cannot turn things around in one day. The season is not ended yet...Hasek was latest coach sacked due to a firing-the-coach politics. But others could follow.

martedì 8 novembre 2011

Flores in the mix

Al Ahli appointed former Atletico Madrid coach and former Europa League-winner Quique Sanchez Flores as new manager, following the departure of Czech coach Ivan Hasek. The club,10th in the Pro League with one win in three games, parted way with Hasek, which ran his second stint with the club. Flores is the 53rd head coach in the Pro League history and the 51st coaching change since the league started in 2008. Football is an emotional sport at any level, and owners like to change if things don't work also in UAE. Hiring and firing coaches have an  impact also on the Pro League. And the carousel will continue as Bani Yas is looking for a new, foreigner coach to replace sacked Jorvan Vieira.

mercoledì 2 novembre 2011

Rijsbergen

Indonesia coach Wim Rijsbergen recalled veteran goalkeeper Hendro Kartiko for his team training camp to the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Qatar and Iran. Rijsbergen also called Victor Igbonefo and Greg Nwokolo, two Pelita Jaya's recently naturalised players. Rijsbergen is trying to build a good team but he faced a lot of troubles: the first one was that the national soccer league his now on the break. This effected the players' fitness levels. Rijsbergen hopes on his team’s improving performance throughout the Group E qualifiers. The draw against Saudi Arabia in a friendly match last month boost the confidence around the team. By the way there are some tactics questions too. Rijsbergen wanted his squad to play attacking soccer and to earned points but things are gone hard for him. He came in Indonesia looking to install an offensive 4-3-3 Dutch playing style. But often the Indonesia was hit by counterattacks. So Rijsbergen should like to play a more simple brand of football.

martedì 1 novembre 2011

Vieira run ended

So, you know, Bani Yas parted way with Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira after seven winless games. Vieira got a two-year contract at the end of last season. As usual, the coach took all the blame. He didn't deserve it. Viera worked in a difficult situation. Bani Yas lost a star player in Theyab Awana on Sept. Andre Senghor went late for the pre-season camp and David Trezeguet, their big preseason signing, is still out of shape. So confidence was high there before the campaign got underway but those situations affected Vieira's work. The team played a good football but they haven't produced wins. Vieira's exit showed how easily managers can lose their jobs in UAE: 52 different managers have coached 16 Pro League clubs over latest three seasons. UAE clubs gave them few time.