Bani Yas must break through a mental block to begin getting results on the pitch, according to coach Luis Garcia.
The Spaniard has endured an underwhelming start to his Sky Blues rein, drawing the opening two fixtures before collapsing to a 2-1 defeat on Friday to Arabian Gulf League runners-up Al Wahda.
This was the second time this season Bani Yas have dropped points from a winning position. They will hope to correct this run tonight when they travel to play Emirates Club.
“Now we will fight again to win,” said Garcia, who has also been boosted by Mohammed Jaber and Yousif Jaber penning new deals.
“We know Emirates Club is very strong. We have ambition for every match. I hope to not do the same mistakes that we made against Al Wahda. We have been searching for the solution to the psychological problem our players have been facing – when we concede a goal we let our heads drop. I hope this will not happen from now on.”
Garcia was in forthright mood on Friday, demanding administrators set realistic targets for the season ahead and secure a tall striker before the window closes on Thursday. Negotiations to bring in Mohamed Naser from Wasl have proven fruitless. Revisiting the issue of aspirations, the 41 year old believed his youthful squad could reach beyond mid-table if they work hard on the training pitch.
Garcia said: “My target is not to do what Bani Yas did last season and finish ninth. We will do better, maybe fifth or sixth. I know we have good players. The problem is that my players are very young. They have a good future and we need to train more to make them strong.”
Elsewhere, early leaders Wahda host a Sharjah side coming off a 4-2 win over Kalba. Winless Al Wasl travel across Dubai to take on Al Nasr, who are without the banned Ibrahima Toure.
