Arruabarrena tells Al Wasl not to rest on laurels

Dubai: Al Wasl coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena has told his players to forget last season’s second place league finish and prepare for an even harder campaign this year.

In his first season in charge, the 42-year-old Argentine former Boca Juniors boss led the Cheetahs to their best league finish in a decade, but looking forward, he said they shouldn’t take anything for granted.

“We had a good season and played at the same level as clubs with more players and better finances,” he said. “We are happy about that, but it is already in the past. Now we start a new season.

“We don’t have any more or less responsibility than last year. Our objectives remain the same, to be there in all tournaments. However, if we are to repeat or improve on what we did last season we will have to work even harder. If we don’t play with the same mentality and character, we won’t be in a good way.

“We can spend weeks talking about the changes that have gone on during the summer,” he said in reference to last year’s champions Al Jazira strengthening, and third-placed Al Ahli merging with Al Shabab and Dubai Club. “But the important thing is not to speak but to show our level, and what we want to do, on the field. It will be a big problem if we relax because of what we did last season.

“If we relax and think everything is done, because of what we did last year, it will speak very badly of us. So, we have to carry on and show what we can do on the field, without talking. And that starts with our first match this weekend,” he said of Al Wasl’s opening game of the season at home to Dibba in the Arabian Gulf Cup on Friday, which kicks-off at 5.40pm.

“After a long pre-season we look to start as we mean to go on by kicking-off with a win.”

One of the biggest factors hampering Arruabarrena’s confidence ahead of his second season is the club’s inability to have brought in new defensive signings over the summer.

“We lost three players from our defensive line and brought in just one, we also lost our goalkeeper to military service,” he said. “We tried to bring in more players, but had economic problems and maybe they didn’t like what we were offering so they opted for other clubs.

“The club is still speaking to players in an effort to bring in one or two more. I know the club has made an effort, but we will have many more matches this season because we have qualified for the Champions League.”

In terms of foreign players Al Wasl have retained the services of Brazilian trio Caio Correa, Ronaldo Mendes and Fabio Lima, while bringing in Australian midfielder Anthony Caceres on loan from Manchester City to assume the club’s Asian player slot.