Abu Dhabi: Italian Walter Zenga hopes to bring the glory days back to Al Jazira after being unveiled as the Abu Dhabi club’s new coach on Sunday.
The former Al Nasr boss, who won 58 national team caps as a goalkeeper in his playing days, has been given a two-year deal by Al Jazira to succeed the sacked Spaniard Luis Milla.
Zenga takes over with the 2010/11 double winners in seventh place in the newly rebranded Arabian Gulf League after finishing third in the Etisalat Pro-League last season.
The 53-year-old says Al Jazira deserve to be one of the UAE’s top clubs and he hopes to emulate the success of Abel Braga three seasons ago.
Zenga watched Al Jazira under Milla last season and, at his unveiling at the Dusit Thani hotel here, he said: “With due respect to my former colleague Luis Milla, I saw a different team and I think my work priority will be in all sides — tactical, physical and psychological — to return them to the team’s former standards.
“Winning only nine matches from 27 did not help the spirits of the players or their self-confidence. We have to raise the morale and make the players play for the team as a united group and to do their best in our quest to compete for titles. I will do my best to become the new Abel Braga with the team.
“I am happy to return to the UAE and I know Al Jazira are a big team who should be at the top of the competition on all levels, and that’s why I accepted the challenge.”
While Zenga has signed just a two-year deal for now, the Inter Milan legend says he hopes to be given five years to overhaul Al Jazira’s squad and playing philosophy.
“My contract ends by June 2015,” he said. “But I believe a period of five years will be ideal to achieve improvement and progress the team for the future for the club.”
Al Jazira administartor Ayedh Mabkhoot, when asked about why the club was so patient with Milla despite the poor results, said: “We believed that he had more to offer to the team, but when the results continued to deteriorate we replaced him.
“Everyone shoulders part of the responsibility for the results of the team, especially us, the administration of both the club and the team. We believe that Zenga is the right person for this period because he has vast knowledge about our football and has worked in the region before as he led both Al Ain and Al Nasr in the past.”
