Bani Yas coach Luis Garcia has admitted he is open to changing his approach for the Arabian Gulf League trip to Ittihad Kalba.
Kalba suffered a chastening top-flight return last Tuesday after being hammered 5-0 by Al Wahda. The Sky Blues enjoyed a steadier start, claiming a 1-1 draw with an Al Nasr side that saw Ibrahima Toure dismissed for a brutal attack on Mohamed Jaber.
Spaniard Garcia’s competitive debut featured the formative stages of swift passing and high-pressing football favoured in his home country. But, the ex-Getafe boss revealed he is not scared to try a new plan tonight as well as being interested in securing support for key striker Carlos Munoz before the close of the transfer window on October 2.
He said: “The most important thing in this game is to play with tactics. If you start with no plan, you will not get anything as Kalba are difficult in their home. Maybe we will change our tactics in this game as against Al Nasr we tried a new style. That might not be as effective in the second game.
“Al Ahli and Al Ain are the best in the Arabian Gulf League, but anything can happen. There will be a big difference in the table in five weeks’ time. We also need to support the team by buying one more striker.”
Mohamed Jaber was left bloodied by Toure’s backhanded punch but Garcia says he has an outside chance of featuring in Kalba.
“Until now, we do not know if Mohamed Jaber will play the next game or not,” the 41-year-old said.
“He will start doing some exercises alone in the gym to come back to training. Maybe, he will play.”
Garcia’s countryman Joan Verdu has been brought in to help the Spanish revolution at Bani Yas Stadium. He believes the speed of change had been hampered by international call-ups.
The ex-Deportivo La Coruna, Espanyol and Real Betis midfielder said: “We have many good quality players, and maybe they need time, as most of the players have not spent long with each other in the training camp. Seven of our players were with the UAE senior team or Asian Games team. It will be a few weeks before we are at our best.”
