New Al Jazira coach Henk Ten Cate unveiled

Denzil Pinto 23:49 29/12/2015
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  • Henk Ten Cate has previously worked at Barcelona and Chelsea.

    New Al Jazira coach Henk Ten Cate is under no illusion he must restore the self-belief of his players if they want to be successful and has set an immediate target of reaching this season’s AFC Champions League group stage. 

    The Dutchman has signed a contract until the end of the season, with an option for renewal, taking over from Abel Braga, who was sacked after three wins in 16 games earlier this month.

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    Ten Cate, 61, inherits a squad languishing in 10th position in the AGL, 20 points behind leaders Al Ain and already out of the Arabian Gulf Cup. 

    Xavi’s Al Sadd stand in Pride of Abu Dhabi’s way in the Champions League group with the two sides meeting in February’s qualifier.

    But Ten Cate’s first task is motivating his players ahead of their first AGL game away at Al Wasl on January 8.

    “I can promise to the fans that we will do our utmost to get the best out of this team,” said the former Chelsea and Barcelona assistant coach.

    “It’s important we play good football but to start with, we need to build the confidence of the players. 

    “If you’re losing games that in itself loses confidence and we need to bring back this confidence. You only get that by winning games. The most important thing is bring back the spirit in the team, and with this, I’m sure we can win a lot of games.

    “You will see a team who are fit and fight for every ball. For now, it’s the most we can promise.” 

    The 61-year-old has penned a contract until the end of the season.

    The ex-Al Ahli coach added: “The main aim is to qualify for the AFC Champions League. It’s not going to be easy because we have the strongest opponent in Al Sadd and Xavi is still there. 

    “Also to go far in the President’s Cup is a big thing but I feel Al Jazira has to be in the Champions League.” 

    Ten Cate, who revealed he turned down the chance to work at Al Jazira in 2003 in favour of a move to the Nou Camp, has already taken charge of training and has been impressed by what he saw.

    Rueing the absence of injured attacking duo Jefferson Farfan and Mirko Vucinic, Ten Cate said it was important to look at the team quality before deciding what strategies to play.

    “There a good use of local players and it’s about time to show what they can do. I hope they will show it,” he said.

    “Age doesn’t matter. If you’re good enough you’re old enough. We had two under-19 players train with us and we will give everyone a chance to play football.” 

    And the ex-midfielder refused to be drawn whether he would dip into the transfer market. He said: “If we talk about players we don’t have, then it’s demotivating for those who are with us.”

    But club chief executive Ayed Mabkhout, added: “We are working now with the sporting director to try and look for new players.”

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