Ryan Babel has told Al Ain fans not to hit the panic button after successive friendly defeats and multiple off-field changes.
The Arabian Gulf League champions were beaten 4-0 by Hull City – who were relegated from the Premier League last season – on Wednesday in Austria. This preceded a 1-0 opening loss to Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv Tashkent.
In both fixtures, the Boss’ new foreign trio has failed to spark. Dutch winger Babel came off at half-time against the Tigers, Nigeria striker Emmanuel Emenike has cut an isolated figure as replacement for club legend Asamoah Gyan after his €20 million (Dh81m) switch to Shanghai SIPG and Brazilian centre midfielder Fellipe Bastos is yet to bond with retained non-Emirati Lee Myung-joo.
Despite these problems, the former Liverpool and Ajax man is convinced his new club will be in prime shape in time for the Arabian Gulf Super Cup-clash with Al Nasr on August 15.
“It is important at this stage not to think about things too much,” he said. “The result is not as important as the players and the coaching staff must experiment.
“You may lose some games, but it is all in the best interest of the team and to achieve the required degree of readiness. We have a good team and we will provide the best we have during the new season.”
– #360podcast: It’s going, going Gyan in AGL
– INTERVIEW: McManaman discusses English players abroad
– From Benitez’s wife to Chelsea success: Jose’s Top 20 quotes
Meanwhile, Al Ain have down-played the injury which saw star playmaker Omar Abdulrahman stretchered off against Hull.
Abdulrahman, 23, was replaced on the hour mark at a wet Worgl Stadium after an innocuous collision with centre-back Curtis Davies. The playmaker has a history of knee problems, a recurring issue last term restricting him to 11 top-flight starts.
“Abdulrahman suffered a mild bruise in the knee after inadvertent contact with one of the players in the English team, so the coach (Zlatko Dalic) preferred to check on his injury,” team manager Nasser Abdullah Al Junaibi said.
The Boss face Saudi Arabia giants Al Hilal on Sunday before winding up their Austrian training camp on August 5 against Xavi’s Al Sadd.
