Al-Wasl, the defending champion, Al-Nasr, Al-Wahda and Al-Ain clubs have disappointed expectations in the ADNOC Professional League during the past eight rounds, after they were candidates before the start of the season to provide levels of competition in the tournament and lead the way towards winning the title.
At a time when Al-Waslawi fans were placing high hopes on the team to continue its football maturity as it was last season, the “defending champion” moved away from the lead since the beginning of the league, and became 11 points behind “leader” Sharjah by 11 points in the general standings table. The “Emperor’s” chances of retaining the title require a real miracle, as it currently occupies ninth place with 10 points, collected from winning two matches, losing two, and drawing four, providing results. Less than it was last season, during which it only suffered one loss, compared to a draw in four matches, and a win in 21 matches.
Real problems
The reality of the current season indicates that Al-Wasl is suffering from real problems, especially at the level of defense and goalkeeping, after conceding 15 goals in seven matches, and leaving with a clean sheet in one match, which was against Ajman, in addition to the decline in the level of a number of its stars, most notably the trio Fabio. Lima, Ali Saleh and Haris Seferovic.
Victory retreat
For its part, Al-Nasr also disappointed the ambitions of its fans, who were hoping for the “Dean” to return to compete for the league title, especially after the two victories they achieved at the beginning of the season, at the expense of Al-Orouba and Bani Yas, and the deals they concluded during the summer transfer period, most notably the contract with the all-time top scorer. For the ADNOC Professional Ali Mabkhout League, the team quickly declined in terms of results, falling to fifth place with 13 points, after… He was satisfied with one point in the last two matches, with a 0-0 draw with Al-Wahda, and a 3-0 loss to Al-Sharjah.
Unit performance
In turn, Al-Wahda missed all opportunities to lead the league championship, and lost important points, the last of which was at home in a 2-2 draw against Al-Wasl, although the latter completed the confrontation with a reduced number, so the team fell to fourth place, six points behind the “leader.” Although “Al-Annabi” on paper has a chance of competing for the title, the team’s performance fluctuated between ups and downs, making its fans anxious about achieving the league title that has been absent from the club’s coffers for 14 years.
“Ain Crespo”
As for Al Ain, the “Asian champion,” it went through a state of imbalance at the beginning of the season, which affected its domestic and foreign results as well, as it is currently in sixth place with 11 points, and it still has two postponed heavy-caliber matches against Ittihad Kalba and Shabab Al-Ahly.
“Al-Zaeem” presented a disappointing performance, led by its sacked Argentine coach, Hernan Crespo, which pushed the team to retreat a few steps from the competition, after losing easy points to Dibba Al-Hisn, Al-Bataeh and Al-Wahda, despite the high level of ambition of its fans to compete for the league title that it won two seasons ago, especially “Al-Zaeem” won the AFC Champions League title last season.
Obaid: The competition was limited to Shabab Al-Ahly and Sharjah. It is difficult for a third party to enter
Khaled Obaid. From the source
Football analyst, Khaled Obaid, expected that the struggle for the league title would be limited to Shabab Al-Ahly and Al-Sharjah, with the difficulty of a third party entering, pointing out that the position of the four teams, Al-Ain, Al-Wasl, Al-Wahda and Al-Nasr, is very difficult, and some of their positions are theoretically impossible.
He told «Emirates Today»: “The identity of the competitors for the title is determined after five rounds at the latest, and today, after we have finished the eighth round, the vision has become revealed regarding the competition struggle, with the difficulty of making any changes in the coming period on the competition map.”
He added: “Shabab Al-Ahly and Al-Sharjah are the two most stable teams from a technical standpoint and results, unlike the other teams that were candidates for the competition, and which suffered technical problems, some of which are related to mismanagement of matches on the part of the technical staff, and instability in a fixed lineup, and this is what stood behind Performance and results are shaken together.”
. The positions of Al-Ain, Al-Wasl, Al-Wahda and Al-Nasr are very difficult…and some of them are theoretically impossible.
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