Al Jazira coach Eric Gerets has challenged his side to tighten up at the back after individual errors led to new boys Fujairah celebrating their return to the top flight with a 2-2 draw at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Saturday night.
The Belgian has concerns over his porous defence, with four goals now conceded in the first two domestic games of the season.
Losing late goals in games and generally conceding too many second half goals was a trait of Jazira’s last season, which Gerets said his team needs to find a solution to.
Gerets, a former defender of some note, having gained 86 caps over a 16-year international career with Belgium, is worried over the amount of goals conceded this season in the air, and said his team have to find a solution.
“We have to analyse high balls, as they’ve led to a lot of goals in our two games. We have to make sure we will be better otherwise, in the future, it will cost us a lot of points.”
He added: “We noticed last year (we conceded) a lot of goals in the second half and at the end of games. We have to find a solution within the team because both problems are very bad for the team.”
Jazira conceded 35 goals on their way to finishing third in the league last year – letting in more than any other team that finished in the top seven.
Jazira’s goal has been breached 38 times in their last 25 games, stretching back to January this year, and an alarming 65 per cent of those goals have come in the second half, including nine goals in the last 10 minutes of matches.
However, Gerets failed to lay the blame squarely at the feet of the defence and goalkeeper Ali Khaseif.
“It’s easy to say that it was the fault of my defence but on the cross (from Algerian defender Madjid Bougherra) for the final goal, the player had all the time in the world to put the ball into the box. We created our own problems.”
After starting well, Gerets bemoaned his side ‘letting the game slip out of our hands’, but said the visitors merited their draw.
“In the second half our volume of play dropped. Technically we wanted better control but the midfield started to run backwards instead of taking the ball off them high up the pitch.
“At 2-1 we had chances but we know if you don’t take those chances the other team can score. In the last 10 minutes we were not fresh, we gave space away and they could play too easily.”
Fujairah coach Abdul Abdulkadir congratulated his side on the point: “We tried to minimise Jazira’s counter attack and then we tried to activate the midfield and attack more in the second half.
“My defenders were very good and my goalkeeper (Ayyoub Al Marzouqi) was fantastic. Congratulations to them (my team).”
