Al Ain is a puzzling mystery… 4 matches without victory, and what comes next is more difficult

The Al Ain team has become a puzzle for its fans after the mediocre level it showed in recent matches, after the last international break, where it was unable to win in four consecutive matches, although its ranks were strengthened by the return of its international striker Laba Kodjo from injury, which represents half of its strength. The striking attack, and its players got a rest after the pressure of the matches due to the competitions interfering with each other, while what is coming next is more difficult, as it prepares to face Al-Hilal Saudi Arabia in the first leg of the AFC Champions League semi-finals, next Tuesday.

This is the first time since the beginning of the current season that Al-Zaeem has not achieved victory in four consecutive matches, as it tied 1-1 with Sharjah in the 17th round of the ADNOC Professional League, then exited the President’s Cup in the quarter-finals after losing 2-1 to Kalba. Then, they lost to Al-Nasr 1-3 in the 18th round of the league. The day before yesterday, they tied 2-2 with Al Jazira in the postponed 13th round of the league.

Timing of decline

What is most worrying about the Al Ain team is that the current state of decline coincides with the harvest season. It entered the international break and is competing in four tournaments (three local and one continental competition), but now it is practically competing for the Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, in which it reached the final. Where it faces Al-Wahda, and the AFC Champions League, in which it competes in the semi-finals, while it has moved far away from competing in the league, and also bid an early farewell to the President’s Cup tournament.

Commenting on the modest results, Al Ain coach, Argentine Hernan Crespo, said in the press conference after the match with Al Jazeera: “There are no reasons for Al Ain’s results to decline, and we cannot look for excuses.”

He added: “The reality confirms that we sometimes work to correct some mistakes during our matches, because we do not have enough time to correct those mistakes during training sessions, due to the pressure of matches.” He also pointed out that his team is still paying the price for mistakes in this not-so-good stage, explaining that they continue to lack the required effectiveness in front of goal. Regarding Sufyan Rahimi’s situation and the extent of his readiness for the Al Hilal match, he said: “Rahimi will be ready for the confrontation, as he is an important player for us in the team.”

On the other hand, Al-Jazira’s coach, Frenchman Gregory Dufresne, expressed his happiness with the positive spirit shown by the team in its first appearance with Al-Jazira, after he was assigned the task, succeeding the sacked Romanian coach, Mirel Radoi.

Gregory said: “I am optimistic about the team’s future.” It was very important for us to start together with a positive result. I believe that getting a point in Al Ain, and scoring in the last minute, is a positive result.”