Dibba aim to buck the trend

Dubai - Having lost their opening Arabian Gulf League (AGL) game 4-0 at home to Al Wahda, newly-promoted Dibba will have travelled west looking to take something tangible away from this initial Arabian Gulf Cup (AGC) fixture with the Hawks on Thursday.

 Theo Bucker understandably came away from Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium dissatisfied with Dibba Al Fujairah's 3-2 defeat to Al Shabab, but inherently knowing their overall performance needs to be put into perspective.
Having lost their opening Arabian Gulf League (AGL) game 4-0 at home to Al Wahda, newly-promoted Dibba will have travelled west looking to take something tangible away from this initial Arabian Gulf Cup (AGC) fixture with the Hawks on Thursday.
They came close to doing exactly that as well, with goals either side of half-time from Khalifa Ibraheim and Boris Kabi giving the visitors a deserved - if surprising - 2-1 lead prior to Henrique Luvannor's double salvo late on.
Still, it will have been encouraging for Bucker and Co to see the side trouble a club that finished third in the AGL last season that tellingly in only their second competitive outing back in the top flight.
It's little wonder then that the experienced German's post-match press conference in the immediate aftermath of the reverse was a mixture of hurt and hope for the future.
"We're sad because we lost a game today (Thursday), which was completely unnecessary," Bucker said.
"Playing-wise, we were at least as good as Al Shabab and even had a chance of winning.
"But, there is a difference between playing in the AGL and playing in the First Division and that variation in experience, power and speed counted for Shabab in the end and that is the reason why we lost."
Dibba have spent the majority of the last decade languishing amid the relative anonymity of second-tier football here, so a period of acclimatisation to this new level is in order. Physically, Bucker's players have to get used to the pace of top-flight matches and the demands and rigours that entails in such hot and humid conditions.
There's also the mental and psychological aspect though, with the squad becoming increasingly aware that this professional setting requires their full-time focus.
"We're working on getting into their minds a different kind of attitude; that we're playing football with intentions," Bucker continued.
"That way, everybody knows why we are here and what we have to do and, in that regard, we have to learn a lot.
"We have to look at the whole picture and, in the overall view of the situation, we should be very much happy.
"But - to tell you the truth - I'm a very bad loser, so we'll have to suffer a little bit, then regroup and believe we're on the right path."
One man who was suitably impressed by Dibba's determined and dynamic display was Bucker's counterpart at Shabab, Caio Junior, who reckons they are already a positive addition to the AGL.
"Dibba can have a good season because they have good foreign and local players," the Brazilian coach commented.
"They're a good surprise for me and that's good for the Arabian Gulf League."
alex@khaleejtimes.com