Al Ahli’s Romanian coach Cosmin Olaroiu has suggested that the UAE needs to have a strategy in place before scouting for a national team coach.
Asked if he was one of the candidates for the national team to replace Mahdi Ali, Olaroiu said: “I have a contract with Al Ahli till 2018 and I will respect my contract till the end.”
“I don’t know what will happen after I complete my contract in 2018,” he shrugged.
A former centre-back for club and country in Romania, Olariou is considered one of the best managers in the region having led some of the most decorated clubs of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE onto new frontiers.
“I do everything to do my job perfectly. Now I am the coach for Al Ahli and I want this team to win everything. The same thinking was with me while I was with the other clubs – Al Hilal, Al Sadd and Al Ain. Professionally and emotionally, I always try to give everything for my team,” Olaroiu said.
“You have asked me before about the national team. I think the UAE first needs a strategy within a limited period of time. They have to know the differences between the UAE and other teams, and then work on what they lack while keeping the advantages that they have,” suggested the Romanian.
“Before finding a coach they need to look at strategy. They should take France as an example. After France failed to qualify to the World Cup [in 1990 and 1994], they researched and found the right coach [Aime Jacquet] who in fact led them to being champions on home soil in 1998. It was found that France needed players with better height and that’s what they did. They worked on this strategy and won all competitions. So the most important aspect at this stage is to take a relook and see where UAE football stands, and this is far more important than finding a new coach,” he added.
