Gyan savours purple patch
Striker says Al Ain switch proved his smartest move
A l Ain’s Ghanaian star Asamoah Gyan has described swapping the English Premier League for the UAE as the wisest move he has ever made.
The prolific striker raised eyebrows when he left Sunderland for Al Ain in 2011, but he and the Boss, who were confirmed as this season’s Arabian Gulf League (AGL) champions last week, have now won three titles in four years.
“I think it has been the best decision I have taken in my career. I feel great to win three titles in four years — it’s a great achievement for me personally and for the club,” Gyan said after helping his side to a goalless draw against fourth-placed Al Wahda on Monday night.
“There was a lot of criticism for leaving England, but I think international level and club level have been better for me. Everything has been going well for me in terms of scoring, which is my job. I would say, from where I stand now, it is the wisest move I have made.”
After back-to-back title triumphs under Cosmin Olaroiu, Al Ain struggled last season following the Romanian’s departure to Al Ahli, with replacement coaches Jorge Fossati and then Quique Sanchez Flores both sacked. That opened the door for Croatian Zlatko Dalic in March 2014 and he oversaw an immediate turnaround, with the club winning the President’s Cup.
Dalic hailed
And now Dalic, 48, has brought the AGL title back to the Garden City with plenty to spare.
“This season has been very, very difficult for the coach to choose the kind of players. Especially with me and Omar [Abdul Rahman] being in and out of the side with injuries,” Gyan said. “A lot of players who were brought in to fill our places didn’t do the job and so I would say he has done an incredible job this season.”
Dalic brought in former Chelsea player Miroslav Stoch on loan from Fenerbahce along with Korean Lee Myung-joo and Jires Kembo Ekoko, his choices proving to be a masterstroke. The trio stepped up their game in Gyan and Abdul Rahman’s absence and scored 25 goals between them.
Gyan, 29, is also confident Al Ain will be able to defend their President’s Cup title when that competition returns next month.
“The President’s Cup is the only competition left in the local scene right now and we are focused on it. With the kind of quality that we have in the team, I think we have to win it and we believe we can. We will also want to keep up the good work in the Asian Champions League now that we have qualified for the next stage.”
T he celebrations started early for Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ain and they gave their fans a taste of what’s in store for them on May 9 soon after settling for a goalless draw against arch rivals Al Wahda at the Al Nahyan Stadium last evening.
After the inconsequential match, the entire team ran towards the section of their fans, tossing coach Zlat co Dalic high into the air as they savoured their triumph. Some dance moves from the players followed as their cheering fans went berserk.
“A win would have been an ideal way to celebrate but we are still happy with the draw,” said a jubilant Omar Abdul Rahman, adding that with the league title assured their focus now shifts to the President’s Cup and the Asian Champions League.
“We would like to carry on the same run of form in the remaining two matches and take it into the President’s Cup and Asian Champions League. All the players are in a good frame of mind and want to do well,” added Omar.
With no stakes left, Al Ain’s ace Ghanaian striker Asamoah Gyan was a bit subdued after being introduced in the 74th minute and could not do much with the ball but he wowed the crowd with his African jigs.
“The celebrations had to begin and no better way to rejoice in front of your rivals. The fans were also looking forward to it and you can say that the party has begun,” said Gyan, who has been the leading scorer for Al Ain with 13 goals.
Coach Dalic was, for a change, not critical about his team’s inability to get the breakthrough against Al Wahda, only saying it was a “fair result”.
‘Fair result’
“It was a strong 90 minutes. We played the first half better to control the game and had some chances to score, and even when Wahda played more offensively in the second half, we defended well,” said Dalic adding, “OK, we missed a few chances but a scoreless draw was a fair result. It is true that we had already achieved our objectives ahead of this match but we always want to play the best available team. This is my style.”
Dalic acknowledged that it was not easy to motivate a team that has won the league and reached the round of 16 in the ACL. “I told my players that we are the champions and want to play like the champions in the remaining three games.”
Meanwhile, Al Wahda still have a chance to finish in second place if they win their remaining matches and if Al Jazira, who are in second spot currently with 48 points after their 2-1 win against Sharjah, slip up.
Al Wahda are currently on 43 points after 24 matches and have matches to go against Al Ahli and Al Nasr.
Sami Al Jaber, the Al Wahda coach, said his players will target maximum points from their remaining two Arabian Gulf League fixtures and try to finish as high in the league as possible.
“Our main target is to keep the fighting spirit going and to keep up the good performance going into the President’s Cup, which is something we are looking forward to,” he said. “A draw against Al Ain cannot be called a bad result.”
Elsewhere, a brace of goals by Ebrahima Toure saw Al Nasr thrash Emirates 3-0 to move into sixth place with 36 points.