Al Nasr must use the international break to “repair” themselves and reignite their push for Asian qualification, according to captain Brett Holman.
– Walter Zenga: Al Jazira keep Arabian Gulf League hopes alive
– Arabian Gulf Super Cup tickets on sale
– #Quiz360: WIN a group paintball session at Zayed Sports City
The Blue Wave’s hope of finishing inside the top four took a big blow on Sunday, with a defeat to Al Jazira compounded by Al Wahda’s return to winning ways against Ajman. That result opened a five-point gap with six games remaining.
Fifth-placed Nasr collapsed abruptly against their high-flying opponents, ending up 4-2 losers after going in at the interval one-goal up.
Skipper Holman urged his team-mates to maximise their time in training ahead of the resumption at Al Dhafra on Thursday, April 2 to stand any chance of making it into continental club competition through their league position.
He said: “They’re a good side, which you saw in the second half. To come out second half and get wiped off the field, virtually, is not good. This was a massive game just given the rankings in the league.
“If we won this you can look upwards, now it’s sort of mid-table stuff. We’ve got to focus on the next six games to the end, and we’ve still got our GCC Club Cup defence to take care of – so it’s a huge thing.
“In one way, it’s lucky we have 10 days [for the international break] so we can focus a little bit on what we’re got to repair.
“You can give it a good shake. We got to take the positives, but we’ve definitely got to sort out the negatives.”
