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Dubai: One of the top officials from former league champions Al Ahli feels his squad is ready for the final push as the season tapers off in one month's time.
"The mood is upbeat and our players are all willing to give more than 200 per cent to achieve a historical double this season," Abdul Majid Hussain, Al Ahli's supervisor for the senior football team told Gulf News.
"The next four weeks are going to be the toughest of the season, but I can sense the urgency and the motivation among all the players in the team," Hussain said.
Al Ahli did not get off to the best of starts as they dropped crucial points at the very beginning of the competition. They lost 1-2 in the first and third weeks to Al Shaab and Al Shabab respectively, and a 2-3 loss to defending champions Al Wasl further dampened their spirits.
"Considering that we must have lost at least a good, easy 14 points at the start of the season, we have done well to be where we are at this moment [in fourth place]," he said.
Success
The official disclosed that they have been going out of their way to ensure the well-being and mental set-up of the players during the run-up to the final stages.
"We have been meeting them individually and holding group meetings to ensure that they are stress-free and under no pressure."
"The idea is to impress on them the fact that the next four weeks can either make them into champions or they could end up with nothing," he added.
The board of directors led by Khalifa Sulaiman and Hamad Obaidullah have been present at all training sessions to ensure that everything is in place for the comfort of the players.
"We have tasted success with the President's Cup, and we do not want to stop. We want to keep the winning spirit."
Al Ahli's next match is against Sharjah, who are currently in third place with 32 points, on April 27.
"We want to take one match at a time, and the match against Sharjah next week will to a large extent decide the direction of the league," Hussain said.
Advantage
Yet another advantage for Al Ahli is the fact that all their remaining five matches are to be played in Dubai, with four of them on home turf.
"All this is on paper, but in the end we all know that football is played as much on the field as off it.
"Our players know what is required of them and they are willing to go the extra mile to achieve the goals for Al Ahli," Hussain said.
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