Utility man Mohammed Fawzi has urged his UAE compatriots to embrace the culture of change after new coach Alberto Zaccheroni laid out a blueprint for success at January 2019’s Asian Cup.
A profligate 1-0 loss on debut to Haiti plus an Ali Mabkhout-inspired 1-0 triumph against Uzbekistan were recorded under the ex-AC Milan, Juventus and Japan tactician during this international break. Fresh faces, such as Al Nasr prospect Jassem Yaqoub, received educational minutes in both fixtures, while the latter clash at Al Ain’s Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium saw the Italian’s trademark 3-4-3 formation wheeled out.
These alterations combined to create a marked shift from the short Edgardo Bauza-era which preceded, featuring three mixed competitive matches and a failure to make World Cup 2018. For Al Jazira’s Fawzi, who played in centre midfield in the 4-3-3 utilised against the Haitians before switching to right wing-back in Zaccheroni’s second run-out, a willingness to be adaptable is key to prospering in the latest regime.
“We’ve got a new coach and we play now with 3-4-3,” said the 27-year-old. “We have to train in this plan, for the future.
“We didn’t look for a result, we looked for something good for ourselves. We have a lot of young players, and they have a lot of energy.
“The result comes last. But when you win, you always feel happy.
“I hope in the next camp it will be easier for us. This time, the coach had only 10 days with us.
“Hopefully, he’ll have more time to learn about what the players need and what they want.”
#علي_مبخوت يسجل هدف #الإمارات الأول بالدقيقة 15#الإمارات_أوزبكستان#أبوظبي_الرياضية 1 pic.twitter.com/NlaPmSrOGa
— قناة أبوظبي الرياضية (@ADSportsTV) November 14, 2017
The Whites expect to next come together from December 9-17, with plans under way to attract European opposition.
Zaccheroni vowed to study the Arabian Gulf League in the intervening weeks to mine for more surprise call-ups.
He said: “I told the players that I’m not a coach for one or two individuals, but for the entire team.
“I’ll be looking for new players all the time because we didn’t have many of the regulars in the two games we played. I’ll be watching and scouting for new players, and providing them the opportunities.”
Veteran team manager Abdullah Saleh praised the October appointment’s early work, joking about the contrast to the high-profile failure on the Road to Russia of Zaccheroni’s nation.
He said: “I am very happy, because I feel how the Europeans deal with the professionals. I could see his plans, his brain – it was fantastic.
“He is doing good. Italy went out of the World Cup, but he is doing good.”
