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Maradona sees room for more improvement

Al Wasl may have made it through to the GCC Champions League semi-finals in midweek, but their coach Diego Maradona still saw room for improvement in their dogged quarter-final display.

Wasl and Al Wahda were deadlocked and goalless going into extra-time, when Juan Manuel Olivera gave the former the lead with a nodded finish from Mohammad Reza Khalatbari’s inswinging centre.

A poor defensive wall at a Wahda free-kick though then allowed Fernando Baiano to clip the set piece past a wrong-footed Majed Nasser, forcing the dreaded 12-yard shootout.

There, Khalatbari struck the decisive kick to seal Wasl’s progression at 5-3, even if Maradona was still somewhat disappointed with the manner of their concession beforehand.

“My players played an excellent match, this is exactly what I wanted from them and I congratulate them on this performance,” he said.

“But, I always would like to see more. To see a better performance from them, I would push them to do better.

“We were able to take the lead in extra-time and it was a well-deserved goal for us.

“But, with the way we conceded Al Wahda’s goal, the wall for the free-kick had a gap in it.

“This is something that you look at as it’s one factor that can occasionally change a game. These are the things that sometimes go against us and we’ll have to work on them.

“However, all in all, I’m very happy with my team’s performance.”

Maradona also praised the showing of his returning number one goalkeeper Nasser, who is currently serving a 17-game ban domestically.

“Our goalkeeper Majed Nasser proved that he is probably the best keeper in the league and the UAE because he wasn’t really put in any tough situations,” he enthused.

The night was a memorable occasion for Maradona personally as his son-in-law, Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero, paid a visit to Zabeel Stadium with grandson Benjamin.

“Aguero shared the joy with us,” Maradona explained. “He went into the changing room, met all of the players and congratulated them. His presence, with this win, was really special for us.”

Wasl then are now in the last four and Maradona is targeting a concerted crack at the silverware as they gear up for the 2012/13 campaign.

“Since we’re still fighting for this cup, we will do our best to be able to win the GCC Champions League and – at the same time – work on building a strong team for next season,” he added.

“In my recent meetings with the management, we’ve decided to find a quick solution and be able to be a competitive side.

“The board and management knows this and, hopefully, we can work together in achieving this.”

alex@khaleejtimes.com