Donda: 'Players to blame for Al Wasl form'

Martyn Thomas 11:33 05/03/2014
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  • Too late to apologise: Donda says the players should shoulder the blame for the side's form that saw Hector Cuper sacked.

    Mariano Donda believes Al Wasl’s players should take full responsibility for the club’s recent slump, following the exit of coach Hector Cuper.

    Wasl confirmed Cuper’s departure by mutual consent yesterday, less than 24 hours after the Cheetahs finished their UAE League Cup campaign with a 3-2 home defeat to Al Nasr.

    The Argentine won just four of his 16 games in charge, while a run of one victory in their last nine Arabian Gulf League games has seen Wasl slip to 10th, just three places above the relegation zone.

    Wasl’s players were given the day off yesterday and had not been told by the club that Cuper would be leaving but Donda thinks they must shoulder some of the blame.

    “Sometimes in soccer it is easier to put out one person and not 20 players,” the midfielder told Sport360°. “I think we are the most responsible, we are trying to do our best during the week and on the weekend.

    “I think we are playing better than the results are saying, but in soccer the only thing that matters is winning.

    “I apologise to the coach, to the staff because they are good professionals but what I can say is that we must continue because we have another seven matches to finish as well as possible this season.”

    Donda will have to wait to find out the identity of the new coach. Wasl confirmed that Saeed Abdulrahman would return for his second caretaker stint of the season.

    The Argentine midfielder has worked under six full-time coaches since arriving at the Zabeal Stadium in the summer of 2011 while Gilles Morriseau and Nasser Khamis took temporary charge of the first team once Bruno Metsu was taken ill at the beginning of last season.

    And he believes the only way that Wasl are going to starting climbing the Arabian Gulf League is through hard work.

    “I hope to finish as well as possible. This is a good group with good people and we are trying to do our best during the week,” the 31-yearold said.

    “But this is soccer and when you have a difficult situation you must look to the future and trust that what we are doing is good.”

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