In his weekly column, Former Al Jazira manager Walter Zenga shares his thoughts on all the action from week two in the AGL.
Football is sometimes a very strange game and that was certainly true in Al Ahli’s 4-2 defeat to Al Shabab on Sunday.
The champions completely dominated the first 50 minutes, without any sign of risk. But no matter how good you are, as soon as your concentration is down, it is game over.
An incredible 22 minutes followed, with four unanswered goals for Shabab – that is football.
I know Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu very well, and he will not panic.
Shabab must also not think everything is perfect. It is a fantastic result, however, they must analyse equally how much went wrong in the first 50 minutes as well as what went right in the final 40 minutes. They can take great enthusiasm and excitement moving forward, but they must be honest about the whole game and take a look inside themselves.
Similarly, Al Jazira would have been so disappointed on Saturday after drawing 2-2 with Fujairah, and now they sit a point ahead of Ahli in the table.
It just shows anything can happen. Football doesn’t run on one line, from A to B to C to D etc. The life of a coach is like being on a rollercoaster.
I was very impressed watching Al Nasr’s 3-0 win against Sharjah. They proved the best solution to the suspension of star player Ibrahima Toure is to play as a team. I am not a judge, and it is not for me to decide whether the four-match ban the striker received is just.
As a coach, you simply have to find out why such an incident with Bani Yas’ Mohamed Jaber happened.
Al Wahda showed their belief to fight for a 2-1 win at Emirates Club. I know striker Sebastian Tagliabue from when I managed Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia, and he has the habit for scoring.
It is a similar story for Asamoah Gyan at Al Ain.
They have played one league game with the 2-0 win against Al Wasl, and he has scored.
Al Ain must not be too disappointed with the AFC Champions League semi-final, first-leg loss to Al Hilal. The pride about making it that far should be greater than the upset of possibly missing out on the final.
Another great striker playing in the UAE is Al Dhafra’s Makhete Diop. His half-volley in the 1-1 draw with Ajman was superb. He is a player I noted two or three years ago as one I would like to see how he would get on at a higher level. It is a different pressure from the fans and media when playing for teams like Jazira, Ahli or Al Ain.
Bani Yas secured a second-successive 1-1 draw, this time against Ittihad Kalba. When you are a coach new to the region, like Luis Garcia, it can take time for yourself and your players to adapt to the different culture.
It is why I say you cannot tell anything about the Arabian Gulf League until at least four games in.
