In a domestic season that has swiftly spiralled downwards, the Asian Champions League provides Al Ain a necessary distraction.
That the continental competition offers welcome respite from home discomforts portrays the angst that envelops the UAE champions at present; remember, last season’s Asian excursion proved a step too far for even a Garden City club in full bloom.
Now wilting in the heat of an uncertain summer and a subsequent cold snap in the Arabian Gulf League (AGL), Al Ain approach Wednesday night’s Group C opener against Qatari side Lekhwiya low in confidence and high in quandary.
The President’s Cup showpiece remains on the horizon, yet they would trade a king’s ransom for safe passage through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League. It could be a restorative recourse.
Last Friday’s 1-0 league defeat at Al Nasr left Al Ain languishing eighth in the table and the chances of rescuing their 2013/14 campaign are diminishing by the week. Asia supplies an escape route.
“When it comes down to it we need to salvage something from the season,” said Alex Brosque, Al Ain’s Australian forward. “The season itself is not looking too good, but we’ve got the President’s Cup final and if we can do well in the Champions League it changes things completely.
“It’s that sort of competition where, if we’re switched on and we’re ready, we’ve definitely got the team to do it. It’s just trying to gather everyone up after a loss like [Nasr].”
The Nasr jolt has sparked some serious introspection. Al Ain are no longer the country's outstanding side, instead they are wracked with self-doubt and uncertainty. Questions remain regarding the future of coach Quique Sanchez Flores, while there is a fear, too, that the squad that comfortably delivered the 2012/13 national title may start to fragment.
Brosque looks to last season’s early Champions League form for encouragement. Twelve months ago, Al Ain proved the inhospitable hosts in their two opening home matches, before four successive defeats eventually saw them finish third in their group.
Now, the hope is that the strain in the UAE top flight can be alleviated with healthy participation in Asia, especially as Al Ain’s pool includes Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad and Tractor Sazi of Iran, two clubs also enduring disappointing domestic seasons.
If Al Ain are to lift clear of their troubles then, Brosque conceded, much depends on the club’s wiser heads.
“I’m no different to anyone else,” he said. “I feel hugely responsible for what’s happening; it’s very frustrating to not be able to do as well as last year. Off the back of two losses isn’t a good way to go into the Champions League, but the senior guys have to start to step up, go to the boys and make sure we put this behind us, focus on a new competition and move forward.”
Brosque was supported by Asamoah Gyan, the Ghanaian striker, who insisted that he must not lead from the front only on the pitch. The forward remains the AGL’s top scorer and, while he said the squad’s morale was lower than at any time in his two years in Al Ain, he is convinced they can regroup and rebound.
“As one of the experienced players it’s my duty to pick up the boys, to make sure they wake up,” he said. “These are times we need to show our personality to the team because we don’t want it to get worse.
“We’re in a difficult situation at the moment – we accept that, no excuses. But I think everything will be fine. We’re disappointed about results, but it’s football. In football, this happens to any team. I believe in our players and feel we’re still the best team in the UAE, despite everything.”
Anything less than qualification from Group D in Asia’s premier club tournament, which begins with hosting Lekhwiya tonight, will shake a club on unsure foundations.
Understandably, Gyan looks to the fresh challenge as a way of building new belief.
“The Champions League’s another new thing,” he said. “The players are under pressure at the moment and that comes from the fans, also. But the Champions League can change everything – a good performance and a win can change it all. We’ll bring back the support to ourselves.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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