Sparky’s Column

Etisalat Cup Qualifying Teams Decided and Etisalat Pro-League Resumes

In last week's column I used seafaring terms to describe the fight for the last semi final spot in the Etisalat Cup, and to continue with that analogy Al Dhafra's campaign ended up on the rocks as they lost out to Al Wahda on the weekend. I was hopeful that some of the smaller clubs would make it through, as we all love an underdog story. Emirates Club's march to the President's Cup last year was a great story. But that was not to be the case, with Al Ain, Al Wahda, Al Shabab and Al Wasl making it through to the semi final stage. Al Ain are the only one from the four who have not achieved a championship victory in the last five years.

The UAE's performance in AFC's Asian Cup has come under the spotlight after they finished bottom of the group and failed to qualify for the knockout stages. They didn't manage a single goal so the blame has been put on the strikers. The two biggest names in the UAE national team are Ahmed Khalil and Ismaeil Matar. Ahmed Khalil is the great hope for Emirati football but is this too much of a burden for a 19 year old. His record at Under 20 and Under 23 level is outstanding - he has scored 20 goals in 26 appearances. The full national team is a different matter though. So far in 19 appearances Ahmed has hit the back of the net four times. That is not the level of scoring that is going to lift a goal shy team. The other main focus has been on the more experienced Ismaeil Matar but he has not been prolific in the last few years either. He has managed just one goal in nine appearances this season. The peak of Matar's career for scoring was 2004-06 where he averaged more than a goal every two games. The key to Matar as a front man is the number of assists he provides his team mates. If the players round him are not scoring then he is not as effective.

The expectation including mine that the UAE could qualify was not supported by the stats of the key forward players. The coach Katanec obviously knew this and had to play with more midfielders to pack the middle of the pitch and not concede goals. He obviously hoped to get goals on the break but sadly this didn't happen. It almost worked in two of the games but if you don't score then you are not going to win matches. Apologies for the use of one of the world's biggest football clichés but in this case it is spot on.

Back to UFL news and the Etisalat Pro-League will return on the 3rd of February for a clear run through to the end of the season. The first round back will be used by clubs to reintroduce and reacquaint players with team mates they may not have seen for over a month. All eyes will be on Al Jazira as they look to hit the ground running in the second half of the season to finally win the League title after being so close for the last three years.