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New Wahda coach Tite ready for challenge

ABU DHABI — Adenor Leonardo Bacchi’s return to the top flight of UAE football will be a baptism by fire.

Adenor Leonardo Bacchi’s first game in charge of defending champions Al Wahda will be against city rivals Al Jazira in the Capital Derby on September 16. Adenor Leonardo Bacchi, better known as ‘Tite,’ was officially announced as the new coach of Al Wahda, the club announced on Saturday night.

Tite replaced Romanian Laszlo Boloni, whose spell lasted just three matches. Boloni was sacked following a wretched start to the season, where the defending champions lost the season-opening Super Cup to demoted club Emirates.

Then, they went down to Al Wasl in the opener of the UAE Pro-League. The win against promoted club Ittihad Kalba did little to save Boloni’s job.

“I am aware of my first task and I also know Braga (Jazira coach), who was at Internacional before me,” Tite said on Saturday.

Tite was coach at Brazilian club Internacional, with whom he won the Sudamericana in 2008 and the Suruga Bank Championship in 2009. Jazira coach Abel Braga too had coached Internacional. “My first task is to know the players. I have done a little bit of homework, and it is the same team from last season except for Pinga, the Brazilian midfielder. There are two Brazilian players, one is Magrao, whom I know pretty well. They can help me in knowing the players and that would be my first priority. We have until September 16 to prepare for the next game, and we start work immediately,” added, Tite, who was handed a one-year contract by the club.

Tite, who has had previous experience in the UAE, having coached Al Ain in 2007, said that he was surprised by Al Wahda’s call-up. “To be honest, the Wahda offer came as a bit of a surprise. And I am glad to accept the offer and return to the Emirates in three years. I had a good stay in Al Ain in 2007 and looking forward to working with Wahda,” said Tite, who was fired by Internacional. Tite was fired by Al Ain after a poor string of results.

“I have had a few job offers in Brazil with Vasco and Goias after I got the sack from Internacional, but they were not attractive and I decided to take a break,” said Tite, who didn’t take up a coaching job since last October after he was sacked by Internacional.

Ironically, Tite will line-up against his former club Internacional at the FIFA Club World Cup to be held in Abu Dhabi in December. Al Wahda have earned qualification to the Club World Cup after winning the UAE Pro-League last season, while Internacional won the Copa Libertadores, to qualify for the Club World Cup.

About the UAE League, Tite said: “I believe the competitions are stronger than the previous years. I have yet to talk with the club management on our priorities, which we will do during this week.

The league is important and so are the other competitions, particularly the Club World Cup, in which the club management want the team to make a good impression.

“We will work out these priorities but my first game is the most important at the moment.”

Tite said that he was lucky to have a good group of players. “My focus will be to balance the team, in both attack and defence. This is the way I would like to work and approach the competitions. I am lucky to inherit a pretty good side. I know they are a very good side team with several national team players,” said Tite, who has also coached other Brazilian clubs Gremio, Corinthians, and Palmeiras.

james@khaleejtimes.com