What a difference a year can make. From domestic disaster to AFC Champions League finalists, Al Ahli have been on a rollercoaster trip.
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Rewind back to November 2014 and the thought of a historic debut appearance in the showpiece of the continent’s premier club competition would have been the height of optimism.
But this is the glorious reality which faces manager Cosmin Olaroiu and his revitalised troops tonight, the cacophonous Rashid Stadium sure to be a partisan sea of red for the first-leg visit of Chinese heavyweights Guangzhou Evergrande.
Ambitious investment, burgeoning talent and the kind of faith anathema to most Middle Eastern-boards has been behind the push.
Their opponents boast a World Cup-winning coach in Luiz Felipe Scolari and the competition’s top scorer in forward Ricardo Goulart, yet Ahli can rightly feel confident of a significant result ahead of November 21’s return trip.
Red-hot striker Lima, local hero Ahmed Khalil, inspirational playmaker Everton Ribeiro and their Romanian boss have the combined power to be decisive. The importance to this incredible run of Olaroiu and the continued trust placed in him by the management structure cannot be overstated.
In a division where the kind of insufferable pressure applied from a short winless run has seen Al Wahda ditch Jose Peseiro when in third and Zlatko Dalic fret about his Al Ain position the summer after lifting the 2014-15 crown, Ahli’s decision to hold their nerve is admirable.
Current success can dissuade from revisiting painful memories. Simply put, this time last year the Red Knights were falling apart. The club were stuttering badly just a few short months since a fantastic 2013-14 treble of the Arabian Gulf League, Arabian Gulf Cup and Arabian Gulf Super Cup.
Captain Grafite had gone on one season too far, a chronic lack of goals seeding doubt throughout the squad. Just three wins from eight top-flight matches had been registered by the team which had sauntered to a 16-point winning margin.
Remarkably, things were only to get worse. There seemed no comeback for Olaroiu in February when a toothless 1-0 defeat to Al Shabab was followed by a 4-0 home humbling by Al Wasl.
But still the club backed him, even after an awful title defence ended in a seventh-placed finish. Rather than sending him on his way, they reacted to these woes by issuing a surprise three-year contract extension.
Such patience is not afforded by perennial sackers Al Jazira, currently languishing down the table after Eric Gerets became the sixth coach dispensed within four years despite last term’s runners-up spot.
With Olaroiu, the Red Knights saw the broader picture. This is an eminent coach who has lifted silverware at Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, Qatar’s Al Sadd and UAE’s Al Ain.
Rather than press the panic button, common sense and sound reasoning prevailed. A 100 per cent winning start in the 2015-16 AGL and debut appearance in the ACL final followed.
If the Southern China Tigers are vanquished this month, Ahli’s trust in Olaroiu will have received the requisite – and rich – reward.
