“The Leader” is looking for “the return of confidence” in front of “yesterday’s friend”

Moataz Al-Shami (Dubai)

Al Ain’s technical staff closed the “Sad Exit” page from the quarter-finals of the His Highness the President’s Football Cup, losing to Ittihad Kalba 1-2, after an exciting match, and opened the “Expected Match” page against Al-Nasr, on Sunday, within “Round 18.” From the “ADNOC Professional League”.
“Al-Zaeem” is looking to quickly restore confidence, and also recover from the effects of wasting two points in the “fierce race” for the league title, by drawing with Al-Sharjah in the last round, in addition to washing away the sorrows of the loss from the “Tigers” in “the most expensive cup, and at the same time hitting several Two birds with one stone, by playing with the motive of winning against the “Dean”, with the aim of reconciling the angry fans of the players and the technical staff, and putting an end to the superiority of Schroeder, the former coach of the “Violet”, who defeated Crespo in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the “Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup”.
Crespo suffers from fans’ comparisons between him and Schroeder, especially after the latter’s brilliance with Al-Nassr since he took over as coach at the beginning of the current season, after his departure from Al-Zaeem, despite the distinguished level the team has presented in the past two months, facing the pressure of matches, and proficiency in continental and local competition. Except for an early farewell to the cup.
Crespo is keen to prove his superiority in the upcoming confrontation with “Blue”, which serves as a practical response to the criticism, by overcoming the “Schroder Brigade”, and thus Al-Ainawi’s language of victory will be strongly present before “yesterday’s friend”.
The technical and administrative staff held a meeting with the players, after returning to training and preparing for the Al-Nasr match, where Crespo asked the players to react quickly, return to the path of victories, and restore the high fighting spirit that distinguished the team in the most difficult stages during the past two months, and stressed the importance of victories. , whether against Al-Nasr, or the “postponed” match against Al-Jazira on April 11, until the team enters the two Champions League semi-final matches against Al-Hilal with the utmost focus, in addition to the necessity of regaining the confidence of the “Al-Umma Al-Ainawi” fans.
On the other hand, it is expected that the next stage will witness the stabilization of the lineup for the team, especially in light of Laba Kodjo’s recovery from injury, as he was absent from the starting lineup against the “Tigers” and played as a substitute, in addition to Amir Atzili, who is still a mystery in the lineup, as he is expected to return. The players moved to the “Violet”, in addition to the technical staff making some other tactical changes, and in the positions and tasks of some players, and Crespo's technical opinions demanded the necessity of adjusting the positions of some players, as Kaku occupies the “wing”, which is far from the main position in which he is good as a “playmaker.” Behind the attackers.
It was the 30th match between the two teams in the professional league, and “Al-Zaeem” won 19 times, compared to “Al-Ameed” 7 times, and tied 3 times.