[ Al Jazira ]
have ended in the top four places in the
for 10 successive top-flight campaigns, so it is no surprise that the Abu Dhabi side again rate as title contenders.
The planning for their new season has been meticulous, with early decisions on their coach and most of their key players.
They chose a coach even before the last season ended, signing the Belgian Eric Gerets on a two-year contract to replace the Italian Walter Zenga.
Zenga was hardly a disaster in his seven months in charge, leading Jazira to a third-place finish in the league, a runner-up finish in the Arabian Gulf Cup and a last-16 spot in the AFC Champions League.
Jazira are not happy with anything less than championship honours as they seek to replicate their 2010/11 achievements under the Brazilian Abel Braga, when they won a league and President's Cup double.
"Jazira has been the most consistent team for more than a decade and as such we don't want to settle for second best," team manager Ayedh Mabkhout said. "Our preparation for the new season has gone very well and we are very hopeful to achieve our objectives this season.
"We believe Eric Gerets will add value to the team with his background and experience in the region."
The Belgian arrived in Abu Dhabi having been successful at Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia and at the Qatari club, Lekhwiya.
Gerets, when introduced as coach in the summer, said the club's objective, as well as the fans', players' and his own, was to win all the trophies. He has since avoided speaking to the media, leaving Mabkhout to do the talking.
Jazira have 17 players on national duties in the UAE senior team, the Olympic team and the Under 19 squad, and two of their new foreigners, Mirko Vucinic and Jonathan Pitroipa, recently spent time with their national sides, Montenegro and Burkina Faso, respectively.
Jazira showed promise in their final competitive preparations, defeating the Bahrain league champions Eastern Riffa 4-1 in the IPIC Cup before losing 2-1 to Western Sydney Wanderers, runners-up in Australia's top flight.
FOREIGN PLAYERS
Mirko Vucinic
The tall forward joins Jazira after 14 seasons in Italy, where he played for Lecce, Roma and Juventus, scoring 96 goals in 13 Serie A seasons. He was part of three league-winning clubs at Juventus, the past three seasons, ahead of his move to Abu Dhabi in the summer. Vucinic, 30, also has 16 goals in 40 appearances with the Montenegro national team.
Manuel Lanzini
The 21-year-old Argentine midfielder was signed away from River Plate and is expected to lead the Jazira attack. He was impressive in his first two appearances in front of his new fans, scoring once and setting up three goals in matches with Bahrain league champions Eastern Riffa and Australian runners-up Western Sydney Wanderers in the IPIC Cup.
Jonathan Pitroipa
The speedy Burkina Faso international arrives from French club Rennes, where he spent three seasons and scored 14 goals in 19 league matches. He also played seven seasons in Germany, three of those with Hamburg. Pitroipa, 28, was the player of the tournament at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations after leading Burkina Faso to the final.
Jucilei da Silva
The Brazilian usually known only by his first name joined the club in January after 74 matches over four seasons with Anzhi Makhachala of the Russian top flight. The burly midfielder is strong in defence and generous in attack, as he is more likely to provide than score. This season, he is Jazira's Asian player of the club, after obtaining Palestinian citizenship.
apassela@thenational.ae
Follow us on twitter at
[ @SprtNationalUAE ]
