Moataz Al Shami (Abu Dhabi)
Al Ain will conduct its final training session on its home ground on Saturday, in preparation for the anticipated match on Sunday against Auckland City, the Oceania champion, in the opening match of the FIFA Confederations Cup, which the “Boss” will enter as the holder of the AFC Champions League title last season.
Al Ain will begin its global journey, a few days after the start of its Asian journey in the “Elite Champions League”, with a 1-1 draw with Qatari Al Sadd.
The technical staff, led by Hernan Crespo, worked to correct the mistakes revealed by the team’s match against Al Sadd, to enter the global competitions with high ambitions and full readiness, to achieve a first victory that will take it to the second round of the tournament, to face Al Ahly of Egypt, the African champion, at Cairo Stadium in late October.
Yahya Nader is absent from the team’s lineup after suffering a strain in his adductor muscle during the Al Sadd match. He needs a rest of up to 20 days, and therefore will not participate against Auckland in the opening match of the global journey.
The technical staff, led by Crespo, resorted to preparing alternative solutions, in light of the abundance of tactical options that can compensate for Nader’s absence, especially Mohamed Abbas, Ahmed Barman, and Abdel Karim Traore, and Abbas is now the closest to participating in the upcoming match.
The previous training sessions witnessed an interest in correcting the tactical mistakes that the team made against Al Sadd, especially since Auckland plays with counterattacks and late defense, so that the “leader” can advance forward, and thus exploit any “defensive gaps.”
Crespo focused on theoretical lectures and showed video clips that revealed some of the negatives that appeared in Al Ain’s performance, with the aim of avoiding repeating them against Auckland, who has been in Abu Dhabi for days, to adapt to the atmosphere and prepare adequately for the anticipated match that he enters with great motivation, hoping to complete his journey in the tournament.
In his lecture to all the players, Crespo stressed the need to reconcile with the fans after the draw against Al Sadd, which requires each player to give his best performance on the field and to have a fighting spirit throughout the match, especially since Al Ain is defending its logo as the AFC Champions League title holder.
Crespo resorted to tactical and physical training to implement many ideas and tasks on the field for some positions. He also sought to treat the defensive negatives that affected the team in its last match, especially the two central defenders, as Cardoso and Kwame still need more adaptation in positioning and movement lengthwise and widthwise, especially during counterattacks on goalkeeper Khaled Eissa’s goal.
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