Has Diego Maradona finally found the winning formula at Al Wasl? On the evidence of the past two months, it appears the answer is, finally, yes.
When the Cheetahs faced Al Ahli in round 11 of the Etisalat Pro League on January 14, the side had taken two points from their previous five matches and had just been knocked out of the President's Cup by Al Wahda, the winning goal coming from a player Maradona had released, Mohammad Al Shaiba.
Add to that a war of words between coach and club through the media about transfer budgets and the abject failure of two of Maradona's four foreign imports, Chilean winger Edson Puch and striker Richard Porta from Uruguay, and the Argentine's days at the Zabeel Stadium appeared numbered.
Now, fast forward to the present and all suddenly appears sweetness and light, on and off the field. Maradona embarked on a charm offensive with a three-hour media interview detailing how happy he was at Al Wasl and gradually the stories of behind-the-scenes bickering have died down.
Back to winning ways
Meanwhile, more importantly, the team have started winning, taking nine points from a possible 12 to haul themselves up to fifth place in the Pro League, just three points behind the fourth spot and the possibility of a place in next season's AFC Champions League.
In the Etisalat Cup, the progress has been even more spectacular. Al Wasl had to win each of their final three matches to stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals and did exactly that, culminating with a 4-3 win against reigning Pro League champions and President's Cup winners Al Jazira.
True, Al Jazira had already qualified for the semi-finals, were without their Olympic squad players and had begun to turn their attention to this week's start of its AFC Champions League campaign. But the fact Maradona's men were still able to fight back and secure victory shows they are not lacking is team spirit, something the coach can take credit for.
Maradona can also take credit for at least some of his overseas recruits like Argentine midfield dynamo Mariano Donda and Uruguay striker Juan Olivera.
Getting the right mix
Donda has proved so successful that Francisco Yeste, Al Wasl's player of the season last term and now with Baniyas, has not been missed while Olivera, a rangy centre-forward of the old school has 11 of the side's 21 goals in the Pro League, bettered only by Al Jazira's Ricardo de Oliveira (13) and Asamoah Gyan (11) at league leaders Al Ain. Add to his tally four goals in the Etisalat Cup and he has proved to be invaluable. To that mix, Maradona has added Juan Mercier, a player he capped for Argentina.
The club's momentum continued this week with a 2-0 victory in the GCC Champions League against Al Nahda of Oman but all this recent form will count for little if not maintained in the next crucial two weeks.
Sunday sees the semi-final of the Etisalat Cup against Al Ahli then, four days later, the Cheetahs face a visit to Al Jazira in the Pro League before, five days after that, the club host Bahrain's Al Riffa in their second GCC CL Group match. Al Wasl's loyalty to their coach this season has been admirable, although some of that loyalty may be down to the fact he generates significant publicity.
Nevertheless, after the upcoming trio of matches, it may well be clearer whether the decision to retain Maradona through lean times has been justified or whether the clock will once again start ticking on his future.
