Saturday, Feb 05, 2011
Gulf News
Dos Santos believes they can beat any big guns
Dubai The Dubai Club’s new coach is confident his team of plucky players will be targeting a few more big clubs while achieving their goal of staying back in the etisalat pro league this season.
“What we have started in Dubai Club is a renaissance of sorts wherein our players believe they can beat any team by just sticking to the basics of football,” Dubai Club’s new Brazilian coach Jose Alves Dos Santos told Gulf News after his side stunned former champions Al Ain with a solitary goal late on Thursday.
“This is football. We go out believing in our abilities of delivering winning results on the pitch. But much of the hard work is done during training and off the field as well. The good thing about this side is that all the players are willing to put in the hard work in order to achieve the final aim of staying in the pro league at the end of the season,” the Brazilian said.
Dubai Club scored through Hassan Mohammad four minutes after the hour to give the home side full points and climb up into ninth place in the 12-team standings. Al Ain slipped into relegation zone to join newcomers Ittihad Kalba.
“There are times when nothing works for a team,” an exasperated Al Ain coach Alexandre Gallo said.
“We did everything right and we controlled the match, but somehow we could not get a goal and that is what cost us this match,” the Brazilian added.
With the start of the AFC Champions League among his major challenges next month, Gallo insisted that his team is capable of rising to the occasion in the near future. “We are undergoing a process of re-building and the results will start coming in soon,” Gallo said.
“Winning is very much part of football and once we start winning then we will definitely get back our momentum. There is nothing to worry about at the moment,” he said.
ATIQ-UR-REHMAN/Gulf News
Taking possession
Ahmad Mallah of Dubai (left) in action against Juma Saeed of Al Ain during the Etisalat Pro-League at Dubai Club. Dubai’s new coach is upbeat about working with the team.
We are undergoing a process of re-building and the results will start coming in soon. Winning is part of football and once we start winning then we will definitely get back our momentum
Jose Alves Dos Santos
Dubai Club coach
By Alaric Gomes?Senior Reporter
Gulf News 2011. All rights reserved.
