Fantasy football for Al Jazira vs Real Madrid: Club World Cup takeaways

Matt Jones - Editor 22:04 12/12/2017
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  • Al Jazira face Spanish giants Real Madrid in the semi-final of FIFA Club World Cup 2017 on Wednesday.

    Here we take a look at three takeaways from Henk ten Cate’s press conference ahead of the highly-anticipated clash.

    Fantasy football for Jazira

    Any football fan around the world who owns a games console, plays FIFA. And even with a huge game on his hands – a Club World Cup semi-final Henk ten Cate labelled arguably his greatest achievement in management – the Dutchman was able to cut through the pomp and fanfare and illustrate why football is called the beautiful game.

    Jazira are a club that champion their youth, with numerous youngsters from their flourishing academy brought into and thriving in the first team by Ten Cate.

    By revealing to journalists how these youngsters will today go from playing with their Real Madrid idols on a PlayStation on the team bus, to lining up against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co in the tunnel before testing themselves out on the field, he was able to encapsulate just how much this must be an occasion to cherish.

    Ten Cate: “They play PlayStation on the bus when we go to away games and a lot of them support Madrid, so they know all the players. It’s kind of funny as the same boys playing the PlayStation on the bus are tomorrow facing the real stars.”

    Al-Jazira 1

    Mabkhout in a race against time to be fit for biggest game of their careers

    In essence it’s a glorified friendly that won’t impact their season, but you feel truly sorry if any Al Jazira player misses out on today’s game of a lifetime against global superpower Real Madrid.

    The Pride of Abu Dhabi alrady had a plethora of injuries heading into the tournament, but coach Henk ten Cate touched on the possibility of a few more players possibly missing the dream clash with Los Blancos.

    Rumours abound that prolific Jazira striker Ali Mabkhout may miss the game after picking up an injury in victory against Urawa Red Diamonds on Saturday. If this turns out to be true, it would be a tragedy for the leathal marksman.

    Not only was it his goal that earned them a semi-final date with Real, it was his immense contribution of 33 goals in 25 Arabian Gulf League matches on the way to the title last season that had put Jazira in the tournament.

    Bar Al Ain’s Omar Abdulrahman, Mabkhout is the biggest star if UAE football, with countless years of speculation he has wanted a move to Europe. Many would love to see it happen, and of all the players who deserve to be in the shop window tonight, Mabkhout is head and shoulders above anyone.

    Ten Cate: “We have some injuries and a few more after the last match. But the medical staff are doing everything they can, working really hard to get everyone on the field tomorrow.”

    Ali Mabkhout

    Rise of Jazira is due to Ten Cate instilling a work ethic in his players

    When celebrated former idol Abel Braga returned to Al Jazira in the summer of 2015 following Eric Gerets’ dismissal, fans and club hierarchy alike were predicting a return to the recent glory days of when the Brazilian delivered Arabian Gulf League and President’s Cup glory in a glorious first spell.

    It turned into unmitigated disaster, though, Braga was sacked before the turn of the year, and in came Henk ten Cate. During the Braga reign, stories were rife of a team out of shape and little emphasis put on fitness, with players regularly skipping training.

    Under Ten Cate, however, Jazira have transformed into a well drilled unit. He has said on numerous occasions that what his players lack in star quality compared to the likes of rivals Al Ain, Al Wasl and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai Club, they make up for in spirit.

    Slowly instilling discipline and a professional environment, under the watch of a talented coach, has yielded huge success, with the president’s Cup lifted in his first season, the AGL title coming a year later and now a Club World Cup semi-final.

    Jazira’s chances of success against Real are slim, but you can be sure his players will fight and scrap for their lives, the “bitter end” as Ten Cate himself said.

    Ten Cate: “The difference in quality is just too huge. But my team will fight, like they did before, they will fight until the bitter end.

    Henk ten Cate 1

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