Enraged coach Zoran Mamic has ominously revealed he’s learned who to “rely on” after Al Ain’s embarrassing derby capitulation to Al Wahda in the Arabian Gulf Cup’s quarter-finals.
A changed side, that still contained the likes of ex-AFC Players of the Year Ahmed Khalil and Omar Abdulrahman, suffered the indignity of a 5-1 humbling at Zayed Sports City in Friday’s decider.
Even though the fixture came between 2018 AFC Champions League group matches for both clubs, Mamic has marked the cards of several underperforming players for the challenges ahead.
He said: “I do not know what to say after that loss. The players did not make the match and we made several mistakes during the match.
“This is the reality. Al Ain has a number of excellent players who have a professional mentality and international experience.
“However, my team did not show up in the game against Al Wahda and we did a bad job. So, I’m not happy.
“But on the other side, each game you find some positive aspects even if the outcome is negative. For me, I have identified my players I will rely on to benefit my team during the next phase.”
An AG Cup fixture featuring weakened teams is nothing new. The majority of its rounds are played during international breaks.
“We are planning to finish this season in the required manner,” said Mamic. “If we had won this game and qualified for the semi-finals, we will lose in our next game about 10 international players because of the team’s gathering in Thailand.
What a night 🖐#WHDFC pic.twitter.com/A3OGvLoOkb
— Al Wahda FC الوحدة (@AlWahdaFCC) February 16, 2018
“I respect championships like the Arabian Gulf Cup. But some teams are losing large numbers of internationals.
“For example, in the first game between us and Al Wahda [in December] we were actually missing 10 players and Wahda missed two.
“For me, this tournament is my last when ranking the importance of the four tournaments that Al Ain participates in this season.”
Al Ain remain top of the Arabian Gulf League. They will also look to build on last week’s creditable, opening goalless draw at Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal when they host Michael Laudrup’s Al Rayyan in Group D of Asia’s premier club competition on Tuesday.
“The fact that the outcome of the Wahda game is bad will have no effect, at all, next Tuesday at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium,” said Mamic. “The team will be at full readiness for the second game in the AFC Champions League.”
