Al-Wahda’s defense is the key to “Dila” winning the league title

Al Wahda made their best start in the ADNOC Pro League in six seasons, achieving two consecutive victories with a full score, to enter early the competition for the ADNOC Pro League title, which has been absent from the team’s coffers since the 2009-2010 season.

Al Wahda succeeded in defeating both Ajman and Khorfakkan in the first two rounds of the competition with the same score of 1-0, to tie with Sharjah, Al Nasr and Shabab Al Ahli in the lead.

Al-Annabi’s real bet to win the league title is on the iron defensive wall that Norwegian coach Ronnie Deila has built since he took over the reins of Al-Wahda’s technical leadership this summer.

Under the leadership of coach Ronnie Deila, Al Wahda played eight matches, including six friendly matches during preparation for the new season, in addition to the two league matches, and did not concede any goals.

During its external camp in Serbia, Al Wahda played four matches, beating Serbian “Zvezda 09” and “Dovac” 5-0, Serbian “Tekstilac” 2-0, and tied 0-0 with “IMT”. It also played two friendly matches in the capital, Abu Dhabi, after returning from the external camp, beating Al Jazira 2-0, and beating “Gulf FC” 5-0, scoring 19 goals without conceding any.

Al Wahda continued its defensive superiority in official matches, as it did not concede any goals against Ajman in the first match of the league competition, despite the opponent receiving a penalty kick in stoppage time, which was wasted by Moroccan striker Walid Azaro. Al Wahda also kept its net against Khorfakkan in the second round match last Friday.

Al Wahda management has strengthened the defensive lineup during the current summer transfer market with a new defensive deal, by contracting with the veteran defender, Sasha Ivkovic, coming from Bani Yas Club in a free transfer deal, and it also regained the services of the left-back, Gianluca Moniz, after the end of his loan to Ajman.

Defender Alaa Eldin Zuhair succeeded in dispelling the fans’ fears, after the departure of both Khaled Butti and Abdullah Al Karbi, during the current summer transfers, to occupy the right-back position with high efficiency, so that this trio (Sasha Ivkovic, Gianluca Muniz and Alaa Eldin Zuhair) along with defender Lucas Pimienta form a strong defensive line. It is noteworthy that Al Wahda conceded 34 goals in the last season of the ADNOC Professional League during the 26 matches it played in the competition.

For his part, Al Annabi goalkeeper, Zayed Al Hammadi, stressed that his team’s success in obtaining full points in the first two matches in the league is the most important, regardless of any other numbers.

Al Hammadi said in media statements: “For many years, we have not achieved this strong start and achieved full marks. Winning the first two matches gives us strong motivation to continue winning, and gives us the confidence to continue these positive results. We are happy with what we have presented since the beginning of the preparation period for the current season, and with the support of the management and the fans, we can continue working in the same way until the end of the season.”

• Al-Wahda’s balance in the league is 6 points, collected from two consecutive wins in the first and second rounds.

• Al Wahda conceded 34 goals in the last season of the ADNOC Professional League.