Sparky’s Column

The Pro League takes a break

The Pro League takes a break now as all eyes are on the UAE national teams. There is a belief that the new generation are going to match the achievements of the 1990 World Cup squad. A stepping stone to the promised land is the Olympic Games, for the U23 side. The not so hot summer of 2012 in London is the destination and a strong performance in the Olympic Asian Qualifiers will see them through. The squad have been together since Under 19 level winning the AFC U19 Championships in 2008 and reaching the quarter finals of the FIFA U20 World Cup in Egypt last year. The togetherness of the squad could be the key to 2012 and maybe even Brazil 2014. 

 

 

The current senior team will be looking to reclaim the Gulf Cup in Yemen. The excitement which followed the victory on home soil in 2007 lifted the whole country. The conditions in Yemen will be more uncertain. The country has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in the last few weeks. The football will give the country a much needed lift and divert attention to something more positive. How the conditions, facilities and general atmosphere will affect the teams means the tournament will be hard to predict. The unknown will be a big factor for all teams in this competition and could mean the home team put in a decent performance.

 

 

The break in league fixtures means the Etisalat Cup takes centre stage. The competition has different priorities for the clubs. Jazira used it as an opportunity to blood reserve players in the 2-2 draw with Al Wasl. The game itself featured some naive defending and wobbly goalkeeping. That said it was an entertaining affair between the top two sides in the league. The clubs that continue to feature their foreign players reap the rewards with plenty of goals. Bance of Ahli helped himself to a hatrick in the 5-2 win over Sharjah. Bani Yas the success story of the year so far, they have been thankful for goalscoring prowess of former Al Ain man Andre Senghor. He popped up again with a goal at the weekend that saw Bani Yas win 2-1 against Al Wahda.

 

The two mini leagues have a different feel to them when compared to the Etisalat Pro League. Al Ahli sit top of group B with Al Jazira surprisingly second bottom. They have only mustered a point from 2 games. Braga's policy of utilising reserve players appears not to have paid off. Al Ahli will I am sure fancy this title as a chance to show David O'Leary's three year plan is on the right track in its first season. Bani Yas have matched their league form to the Etisalat Cup and top group A, this competition could be a chance to put a silver lining on two seasons of hard work both on and off the pitch. Al Ain currently in second have been disappointing in the Pro League this season will see the Cup as a way of taking some solace from a season that looks like it will end without another league title.