DUBAI // A solid start for Al Ahli may not necessarily mean a one-sided affair in the league and Ahmed Rizvi points out a few grey areas
The Arabian Gulf League’s chasing pack must have finally heaved a sigh of relief.
After watching Al Ahli’s blazing start, with seven wins from their first seven games, they must have been tempted to repeat Walter Zenga’s line from a season ago when he said that only a “traffic light” could prevent Al Ain from running away with the league.
Last Friday, however, Sharjah gave them some hope with a battling performance to bring Ahli’s winning start to an end.
The leaders had a six-point lead at the top until then and, while they are still ahead by four after the 1-1 draw, the difference now looks a lot more chaseable.
And then, there is still a long way to the finish line. But a word of caution here.
None of the champions of the past the past dozen seasons have enjoyed as good a start in the league as Ahli’s current campaign.
The last title winners to drop only two points after eight weeks were Al Wahda in 2000/01 and they went on to finish five points clear of Ahli.
Last season, Al Ain had dropped five points by this stage and yet they finished with a comfortable nine-point lead. The lowest total after eight games was Al Wasl’s 16 points in 2006/07.So, if history is any indication, the likes of Al Shabab, Baniyas, Sharjah and Al Ain are facing an uphill battle.
But, as most managers are so fond of saying, history matters little on the pitch. Nothing can be taken for granted and Shabab’s season until now is proof of that.
When the pundits were making their predictions before the start of the season, not many, if any, had fancied the chances of Shabab, a club with limited resources and one of the smallest fan bases among the top-flight clubs.
And to the dismay of those limited fans, the club management decided to cash-in on their two best players of 2012/13 – Walid Abbas and Ciel.
Yet, they are second in the table and they could have been in an even better position, if not for the surprising 2-1 loss at Al Shaab.
The Brazilian pair of Edgar Bruno, who has scored six goals in the last two matches, and Adeilson have made sure Ciel’s absence is not felt, while the return of Carlos Villanueva brings class and experience to their midfield and lessened the burden on the hard-working Azizbek Haydarov.
Marcos Paqueta, the manager, has also not been shy of blooding youngsters and they have delivered.
Paqueta is now hoping his team can stay close to the leaders and finish the first-half of the season in second place.
“The difference in points between the teams is not great and there is still a long way to go,” he said.
“A lot of the team are missing some important players because of injuries and when they are back at full strength, the competition for the top spots will only intensify.”
Wahda have suffered the most in the injury stakes and last week, new manager Jose Peseiro lamented the absence of six important players.
Baniyas have also been missing some key players, including Amer Abdulrahman, who underwent a cruciate ligament surgery in Italy last week.
Even without their talented playmaker, Baniyas have shown themselves to be a dangerous unit with new arrivals Carlos Munoz and Luis Farina proving to be a formidable duo upfront.
With Quique Sanchez Flores in charge, Al Ain have also been on the mend and their match against Baniyas tomorrow could be a great indicator about the two teams moving forward.
“The levels of the top teams seems to be very close, so it is very difficult to talk about the title now,” said the Baniyas coach Jorge da Silva. “Perhaps, we will have a clearer picture in the second half of the season.”
With only 10 points separating the top eight, the race is indeed too close to predict. Only two points separate six teams behind Ahli and Shabab and many of them will be looking strengthen their squads in January transfer window.
Wasl have already been linked with the likes of Ronaldinho and Victor Simoes, and if those rumours were to come true, the second half of the league could be an intriguing affair as well.
So the best start in a dozen years might not be enough. Ahli will have to keep moving at full steam, and they might still be looking over their shoulders until the finish line.
arizvi@thenational.ae
Key games in the coming weeks
Tomorrow
Baniyas v Al Ain
Big winners in the last round, both Baniyas (beat Al Shaab 4-0) and Al Ain (beat Emirates 5-3) are full of confidence, but this game could define their challenge for the title.
Tomorrow
Al Ahli v Al Jazira
Held to a 1-1 draw by Sharjah in the last round, Ahli will be looking for three points to keep their lead intact, especially if Al Shabab win at Al Wahda today.
Saturday, December 14
Al Shabab v Al Nasr
A potential banana skin for Shabab as Nasr have shown themselves to be dangerous with victories over Baniyas and Al Jazira until now.
Sunday, December 15
Sharjah v Baniyas
Another crucial game for Baniyas as they try to finish among the top three in the first half. Sharjah very capable of spoiling their chances.
Friday, December 20
Al Ahli vs Al Shabab
If both teams can keep their place at the top of the table until the 11th round, then this has the potential to be the biggest game of the season.
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Chinese Grand Prix schedule (in UAE time)
Friday: First practice - 6am; Second practice - 10am
Saturday: Final practice - 7am; Qualifying - 10am
Sunday: Chinese Grand Prix - 10.10am
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The biog
Name: Dr Lalia Al Helaly
Education: PhD in Sociology from Cairo
Favourite authors: Elif Shafaq and Nizar Qabbani.
Favourite music: classical Arabic music such as Um Khalthoum and Abdul Wahab,
She loves the beach and advises her clients to go for meditation.
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
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• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
