Sport | Football
Hasek calls for pooling of resources
The coach of the President's Cup winners has called on for a bonding of resources if they are to see Al Ahli come up with a late surge for a rare "double" this season.
- By Alaric Gomes, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:15 April 17, 2008
- Al Ahli coach Ivan Hasek (right) talks tactics with his players during a training session at Al Ahli Club on Wednesday.
- Image Credit: Atiq-Ur-Rehman/Gulf News
Dubai: The coach of the President's Cup winners has called on for a bonding of resources if they are to see Al Ahli come up with a late surge for a rare "double" this season.
"Now is the time for everyone to come together as one," Al Ahli coach Ivan Hasek told Gulf News as he supervised training yesterday evening at the club ground.
"We have achieved the first of our goals with the President's Cup on Monday. But that is to be put aside now and we need to re-focus on what is still remaining to be achieved till the end of the season," the Czech Republic coach reasoned.
Al Ahli have six matches in hand till the end of the league. Of these, four will be played on home turf including crucial encounters against Sharjah (April 27), Al Wasl (May 2) and the final one for the season against Al Wahda (May 25).
Their two away games are against Al Ain next Saturday and against Al Nasr in the penultimate round of the league on May 16.
Major titles
"The league is a different competition. We know the rules. In a knock-out event like the President's Cup one cannot afford to make any mistakes.
"However, in a league competition you get a second chance and it is possible to try to correct earlier errors as the season goes on," the coach commented.
All four Dubai clubs have secured the double at least once during their history. Should Al Ahli win this year, they will become the first UAE club ever to have both the major titles during one season.
But given the state of the competition for this league, it is next to impossible for any of the front-runners to slip at this juncture.
"We have six matches and we need to win all of them," he said.
"The task is clear and straight and we need everything to come together if we are to achieve this goal," he added.
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