The expectation for this match was big!

The teams were separated by 3 points only, with Al Ain traveling to Dubai attempting to keep their leading position at the table untouched.

On the other hand, Shabab Al Ahli wanted to take this opportunity to show their talents and provide a push of excitement and uncertainty to the League, if they could win this match.

The match itself was, as expected, intense and tough for both teams, and emotionally demanding!

Shabab Al Ahli (playing in a full green kit) started the match presenting a formation based on a typical GK+4+3+3, with mobility in the 3 midfielders, swapping between them for both pressing and offensive moments. The central corridor was full of physical players, mainly the 2 Centre-Backs, 3 Midfielders although different capabilities, they all had a good physical profile and the Striker was also physically interesting, with a good stature and profile.

The sides were fulfilled with less physical, yet fast and technical players.

Tactically, the team opted for different strategies, starting on a medium block when pressing and having one of the Midfielders pressing the Al Ain’s CB’s with the Striker, having the wingers and the 2 holding Midfielders staying on a man-to-man approach.

As the image illustrates, this approach creates both the potential of recovering the ball in an area that is very close to the goal in a potential equal numerical relationship (1v1, 2v2 or 3v3), but also the risk of having the team outnumbered in the midfield – Al Ain remains with 3 players in the center + 2 Wingers that use the interior spaces to connect the Game VS 2 holding Midfielders + (potentially) the 2 side backs.

As always in Football, there’s no perfect strategy and the Game of the cat and the mouse starts here!

However, the home team faced a few problems with Al Ain’s ability to build-up in different ways, mainly using the numerical advantage in the middle, just as the speed of their Striker, that aware of the side backs position (mainly the Right-Back that was being forced to navigate to interior areas to be able to defend Al Ain’s Left Winger), started to ask for the ball in that spaces – behind the side backs – with short diagonal movements and decided, closer to the end of the 1st half, to have one of the midfielders to join the defensive line, creating a line of 5.

I believe this decision was based on 2 main elements: to guarantee sufficient coverage to the out positioned Centre Back, that was forced to go to side areas with the Striker and needed support, just as it created the sufficient compactness inside the box, in case of a cross.

This decision created some confusion with the pressing at times, but the truth is that despite a lot of lateral Game created, the team didn’t conceded any goal.

The 2nd half was different and the team couldn’t keep up with the tactical discipline and ended up conceding 2 goals from the Striker, the 2nd one in a similar situation that the Coach tried to prevent with the additional player at the defensive line – 1v1 situation on the defensive left side, with one CB covering the Left-Back and the Striker left alone against the other CB, winning the aerial duel and scoring!

Al Ain (wearing their blueish kit) presented with a more defined Model, starting with a foundational formation based on GK+4+1+4+1 with some moments transferring to a GK+4+4+2 when pressing.

Offensively, once they understood Shabab’s pressing strategy, they tried to get a line of 3 to start their build-up, but this took one player from the middle, so they opted to keep the 3 in the middle (having numerical superiority) and having 2 holding Midfielders always trying to get the space between the pressing lines plus the 2 wingers and the remaining midfielder navigating behind the midfield line.

They were able to make a few good combinations and find that pass to the empty player, or space, specially when they realized that they also could find the space behind the opposites team, directly to the Striker.

This multitude of possibilities is decisive when approaching the Game with the intention to have the ball all the time.

The second half was even more aggressive offensively, with the team being able to control the 1st and 2nd balls and creating chances to score.

Al Ain showed in this match a tendency that, just as my recent study on Dubai teams, illustrates their power within local Youth Competitions, dominating several age groups.

Al Ain’s teams, generally and regardless their age group, are presenting both a strong orientation to a greater tendency for a Positional Game as the preferred Style of Play, having the ball constantly and creating different options on build-up, just as they clearly are betting strong on the individual profile of the player – powerful, fast, strong, technically capable, but mainly, a duels-winner.

And , in my opinion, this has been the main factor for their success, the player profile – their teams are often more powerful, stronger and stronger than their opponents.

Looking to the positions every team is occupying in each category table, it’s somehow working.

If we take the 1st teams out of the equation, because they have their singularities that cannot be totally applicable to the Youth System, and considering U23’s still part of the Youth System (just as in any part of the world), Al Ain holds the top-position in 3 of the 5 Leagues from U23 to U14’s, against 1 from Shabab Al Ahli (U21 Team).

It’s 3 times more.

Now, the question arising, specially when looking to the 1st Team recent performances, is if the main element of evaluation for any Youth Academy, Methodology, Philisophy and Systems  – having players from Academy into 1st Team – is being achieved successfully.

I’m not entirely sure about this factor, and may be taking an error here, but the youngsters players  that have been regular recently at Al Ain’s 1st Team are not local (Sanabria, ARG; and Traore, Mali).

Except for one young player (22 years old) that is now on his 2nd Season at Al Ain, but shows in multiple platforms as UAE National Player (and Argentinian) with the name of Matías Palacios…

Therefore, I have to admit that I have not information enough to assume, or evaluate, if the Strategy is being successful or not.

Just as I have not sufficient information about if Al Jazira, Al Wahda, Al Nasr, Al Wasl, or any other local team, are feeding their 1st Teams with local talents from their Academy.

The results are here for any of us to understand the landscape, different strategies and Game approaches.

More than the results, the matches are happening every week for whoever wants to attend.

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Let’s discuss the development of UAE’s Football!