Dubai: Al Wasl coach Bruno Metsu took positives from his first game in charge on Wednesday, despite it being a 4-3 friendly defeat to Hong Kong’s treble winners Kitchee SC on the Zabeel club’s practice pitch.
Spaniard Jordi Tarres netted a hat-trick for the visitors, with his compatriot Yago Gonzalez scoring the second goal as the visitors stormed into a 4-0 lead. Al Wasl recovered on the hour via an Hamad Al Hosani effort, before Hassan Ali and Mohammad Shaiba grabbed further consolation goals.
“The start was bad, but the reaction from my players was good. It was a good reaction and it’s good for the mentality of the players,” said Metsu, who replaced Diego Maradona at Al Wasl earlier this summer.
“That they made mistakes is normal, but to find a good solution — that’s a positive.”
Adding that his search for a striker had been whittled to three potential recruits, Metsu said: “It’s also difficult because we played without Shikabala, a striker, and Rashid Eisa. These are good players for our team. For that reason, it’s not easy.
We didn’t want to risk Shikabala, although we may start him in the next game. He’s a fantastic player and I want to choose a good striker to help him. We have three good names and we’ll find the right one within the budget.”
