#360view: Ten Cate adds Dutch of class in UAE capital

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  • Battling through the pain barrier: Ten Cate.

    A 6-0 drubbing can effect coaches in a myriad ways.

    Some choose anger, others suspicion, while this kind of harrowing experience can shake weak ones to their core.

    That Henk ten Cate – still on crutches after star man Ali Mabkhout’s over-exhuberant celebrations crocked an ankle at the start of last month – began his press conference following Wednesday night’s humiliating end to Al Jazira’s President’s Cup defence with a humorous expletive and mischievous smile tells you everything about the UAE’s outstanding coach of 2016.

    The veteran Dutchman, 62, was aware this had been an awful evening for the Pride of Abu Dhabi, bad as it has been during his transformative year-long reign. Yet he spoke from a position of strength as winner of the nation’s most-prestigious trinket and surprise leader of the 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League.

    These are incredible achievements which must not be lost in the tumult following Al Wahda’s barely-believable last-eight triumph.

    They go far beyond Cosmin Olaroiu claiming the top-flight title for Al Ahli and Zlatko Dalic leading fellow heavyweights Al Ain to last year’s AFC Champions League final, further exceeding Walid Obaid’s guiding of minnows Hatta into the major leagues for the first time in the professional era.

    It was a tough night for the Pride of Abu Dhabi.

    Memories can be painfully short. It can slip the mind that such mortifying scorelines happened on an almost weekly basis under predecessor Abel Braga. The Brazilian proved a pale imitation of the man who had guided Jazira to multiple trophies prior to his 2011 exit.

    Their amateur pre-season left a talented squad disillusioned and undercooked. A side tipped for a
    title push then sat harrowingly close to the relegation spots in 11th upon his merciful dismissal, winning just three of their 11 matches.

    Ten Cate swept in during late December 2015, with little help then being provided by a winter transfer window which produced the additions of useless Spanish winger Angel Lafita and goal-shy striker Kenwyne Jones. But the 62-year-old’s great trick was to engender an esprit de corps which led Jazira to a dramatic penalty shootout triumph against heavily-fancied Al Ain during May’s epic Cup final.

    Freed of sporting director Guianluca Nani’s destabilising presence, smart work in the summer market followed to lift fallen giants. Where rivals such as Ahli went backwards with the top-loading of strikers and Al Ain failed to address glaring deficiencies in depth, Ten Cate managed to craft a free-flowing XI.

    Morocco playmaker Mbark Boussoufa added guile and Brazilian centre-back Joao Costa – minus yesterday’s horror show – has knitted a once-porous defence together. His promotion of young midfielders Mohamed Jamal and Khalfan

    Mubarak also deserves extra credit.

    The overall picture sees Jazira top the AGL table at the halfway stage, with the most goals scored and joint least conceded. They are also in the Arabian Gulf Cup semis.

    Miracles, quite simply, have occurred at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. Don’t let one thrashing cloud your judgement about the Emirates’ best-performing boss.

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