AFC Champions League Round Review (Round of 16)

For many, this week marked the end of domestic football for the summer, as the AFC Champions League narrows down to the final 8. While there was the odd big name casualty, the cream generally rose to the top at the right point, leaving us with a tantilising mix of teams for the quarter-final stage which is set to return in August. In the West - Al-Ahli (KSA), Al-Ain (UAE), Al-Hilal (KSA) & Persepolis (IRN) progressed, while in the East - Guangzhou Evergrande (CHN), Kawasaki Frontale (JPN), Shanghai SIPG (CHN) & Urawa Red Diamonds (JPN) made it through. Looking back on the last fortnight of matches, here’s what stood out across Asia;

The Player

It was only a few weeks ago that I was left intrigued to see whether Muangthong United could go further than any Thai club had gone before and fight for the Asian Champions League title. Both the team’s and my dreams came down to earth with a thud however, with a 7-1 on aggregate reverse to Kawasaki Frontale, who themselves can now regard themselves as the next dark horse to compete for the ACL trophy at the end of the year. Skippered by the growing of age Yu Kobayashi, the last two weeks have illustrated what threat they and in particular Kobayashi can produce at this level.

Muangthong went into the knockouts with the joint best defensive record in the competition, having only conceded 1 goal at home in their group stage encounters. In a swift second half performance in Thailand, Kawasaki made a once impenetrable defence look anything but. Kobayashi was in devastatingly clinical form; scoring a stunning volley to make it 2-1, before racing clear down the right to assist the third. Back in Kawasaki, with a comfortable lead to hold onto, the home side were clearly not settled on sitting back; Kobayashi opened the scoring with a neat cut inside and finish, before assisting the second after a perfectly timed run down the flank. The cherry on top came late on, with an audacious by-line backheel to set up Frontale’s 4th on the night. “Welcome to the big leagues Muangthong!”

Kobayashi remains to a degree under the radar in Asian football, but continues to contribute impressive goal and assist stats that make him one of the leading lights of Japanese football. When called upon for the Samurai Blue he hasn't disappointed either; one of their best performers in October against Iraq and Australia, Kobayashi has subsequently been bumped out of the starting lineup, not by any fault of his own but for the vast array of attacking talent coming into form in Europe. At 29, his time to move West looks to have gone, but taking up the mantle of go-to goalscorer after the exit of legendary Japanese striker Yoshito Okubo earlier this year, his career’s crowning glory may yet still be to come.

The Team

With an even group stage period now long gone to the memory, the business end of the competition is in full flight, with the big names upping into the higher gears, encapsulated by Al Ain’s ruthless performance against Esteghlal this last week. With an array of talent at their disposal, we were always likely to see someone on the wrong end of an Emirati masterclass, and the Tehran giants, back in the ACL for the first time in three years were the unfortunate recipients of a mauling.

The first leg was tight, and in hindsight poorly played tactically by Al Ain. The idea of playing talisman Omar Abdulrahman as the furthest forward player has rarely worked (reminiscent of last year’s ACL final first leg), his creative ability which was so devastating in the second leg, couldn't be harnessed into the first game, Brazilian Caio admirably joined Amoory in attack, but for all their possession the Emirati side could only muster one shot on target. A lapse in concentration gifted Esteghlal a win late on after a misguided handball in the penalty area.

The week after however couldn’t have been a starker change; Nasser Al-Shamrani started in attack, allowing Abdulrahman to drop into a free role, where he caused havoc. Caio continued in a rich vein of form, scoring twice before half time, before Lee Myung-Joo, playing his final game for the club got in on the act. In the end the 6-1 scoreline flattered Esteghlal, who could have conceded more. The variety in attacking areas make Al Ain heads and shoulders ahead of anyone in West Asia. But for the potential of a quick turnaround of players in the summer - Lee has now gone, Amoory could finally be off to Europe - back-to-back final’s appearances look a distinct possibility.

The Talking Point

This week saw the curtain close on a couple of the continent’s biggest names, with Al Ahli Dubai and Lekhwiya bowing out of the Champions League for the last time. Both clubs will hope to be allowed to continue in the next year's edition of the competition, however this time it’ll be under different guises with both clubs set to conduct their own set of mergers over the off season. With some confusion on whether either club could continue, either under their previous moniker or their new one if they progressed to the quarter-final stages in August, was quickly made irrelevant as both limped out of the tournament this week - no doubt to the relief of the AFC!

The summer will be a period of transition, which will create plenty of speculation and hype as both new team’s shape up for their new domestic league campaigns. Al Ahli are set to merge with Al-Shabab and Dubai CSC to form the less than originally named Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC, while Qatari champions Lekhwiya will join forces with last year’s semi-finalists El Jaish to form Al-Duhail SC. Neither side as yet have been confirmed by the governing body as a participant in next year’s ACL tournament, yet we’re unlikely to hear too much on the subject given the AFC have a good 6 months to debate resolutions that will no doubt be best suited to benefit themselves.

The prospect of having two super-clubs representing the Middle East region is a tantalising one. Neither the UAE or Qatar have a real standout side that can count on domestic domination let alone continental success, the one exception being Al Ain, who despite succeeding on the continent fell outside the ACL qualification spots in last term’s Arabian Gulf League. Both cases should however be considered in isolation, with a different set of resources and expectations being affixed to their individual mergers.

The Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC merge, brings together two clubs with moderate standings with another fallen giant going through financial struggles. With Al-Ahli already set to ship star player Everton Ribeiro back to Brazil and club captain Ahmed Khalil to domestic rivals Al-Jazira, it’s clear that the first step is to strip the decks and make the club profitable again, something that may hamper their debut season on the pitch. Al-Duhail on the other hand have a wealth of talent to choose from, as they merge two of the best teams in Qatar, while initial takeaways suggest no such trimming is required purely to balance the books, rather out of preference.

Lekhwiya have shown a consistency that the Qatar Stars League had previously lacked, making it through to the knockout stages of the ACL over the last three editions. With the return of old favourites Al Sadd directly into the group stage next year, we could be hovering over a greater dominance for the diminutive peninsula for seasons to come. With talents such as Nam Tae-Hee, Youssef Msakni and Romarinho all potentially set to dovetail, next season could be a hell of a breakthrough year for Al-Duhail.

AFC Champions League Round Review (Final)

It was a fitting showpiece event to end what has been another gripping AFC Champions League (ACL) campaign as Guangzhou Evergrande clinched their second title in three years with a tight 1-0 aggregate win over Al-Ahli Dubai. By no means was this a classic end to end encounter with chances galore, however the tactical battle was perfectly poised only to be ended with one example of sublime skill to seal the trophy for the South Eastern Tigers in their home stadium. Time for a look back at the winners from 2015’s ACL final.

The Player

Guangzhou Evergrande are famed for their recruitment of Brazilian talent, this mainly to do with the efficiency in their purchases. Once again three were on show, arguably the top three imports in the competition; midfield general Paulinho, who’s impact since his purchase half way through the season proved instrumental in his side’s late season push for trophies, Ricardo Goulart, ACL golden boot winner and the key difference in the early stages, whilst not forgetting club legend Elkeson who went on to score in his third final match in four thus culminating a year of woe in the best possible fashion.

The little Brazilian ball of energy is used to getting things his own way in Asia, since his move from Botafogo three years ago he’s averaged nearly a goal a game, while ensuring at the very least a starting role in the Guangzhou attack. Those days seemed a long time ago however this year, after falling foul to injury after injury, with every comeback plagued with rusty form which seen him regularly benched. This particularly was the case under Scolari, usually working in direct competition with Gao Lin for the lone striker role, often being hauled off at half time in some of his forgetful displays in the Chinese Super League.

In the final however, he was given his chance and he took it. He proved a handful out in Dubai, looking the liveliest of any player on the pitch as he disrupted the back four on a number of occasions. However, it’s for his goal back in Guangzhou that will keep him living long in the memory. Instinctively turning with his back to goal, flicking through Zheng Long’s pass through the legs of Salmin Khamis before predatory poking home. It was a wondrous goal fitting to win any match, but yet again this was Elkeson and this was different. Like he did two years ago in the same stadium, the lively Brazilian clinched Guangzhou another continental title in stunning style.

The Team

The rapid rise of Guangzhou Evergrande into a continental superpower will have its lovers and its haters, but the fact since promotion from China League One, they’ve collected five successive Chinese Super League titles, competed at least up until the quarter finals of every ACL campaign they have been in, as well as clinching their second continental title last week. Guangzhou have now drawn level with Al-Ittihad as the most successful ACL team of all time, and move within one title of Pohang Steelers in elite Asian Club Championships. It’s a rising tide that looks unlikely to abate, given the massive impact Luiz Felipe Scolari has had in his few months in charge.

There lies Guangzhou’s strength, being its management selection. People will point to the short spell of Fabio Cannavaro at the beginning of the year as a mistake, however his record remained solid, he continued to gel the team and rarely shifted from the club’s vision. That vision being of harmony between their overseas recruits and the broadly Chinese home base of players. Every manager from Lippi to Scolari has appreciated this, often preferring less recognisable home based players over the big name imports, a great example being Robinho this year, effectively frozen out by Scolari as the season culminated.

Many will point at Guangzhou’s excessive spending, which can’t be argued against. However, it’s been resolutely spent on a team full of Chinese players, rather than throwing their cash all over the continent. Saturday’s final saw three Brazilians and one Korean line up for Guangzhou, they weren’t carried by mercenaries by any means they were brought together as a tight unit. Team’s looking to emulate Evergrande’s success will immediately think a big signing or two from Europe or South America is the quick fix they need to stardom, but the work behind the scenes both with management and general club philosophy is the real success driven force.

The Talking Point

Guangzhou Evergrande’s success recorded East Asia their fourth ACL success in a row, and their 9th in the last decade, only Al-Sadd of Qatar have been able to relinquish the grasp that the East over that period. While of late their only interaction has been at the finals stage, the East is clearly usurping the West, which also can be found on the international scene; 3 of the 4 World Cup 2014 entrants were from East Asia, both finalists at January’s Asian Cup, also while only 5 of the 16 entrants for the Asian Cup hailed from the region, 4 made it to the quarters. Is this a trend that threatens to be taken forward or is will there be any change to the balance?

When speaking to Hamoudi from Middle Eastern football website Ahdaaf.me, he speaks of countless reasons why the West is faltering, he cites the lack of long term planning, lack of tactical awareness and inability to succeed on two fronts. Alongside the calendar which does favour February-November seasons over a typically Western August-May. While this may have been a factor once the draw was freed up in terms of region locality in the past, recent editions of the ACL have seen neither Western/Eastern sides face each other until the final.

Whatever happens behind the scenes, it’s safe to say the two teams making the final are both in good form, so why the clear divide? Guangzhou Evergrande this year were clear favourites, added to by the favourable home/away draw, however last year’s final between Western Sydney Wanderers and Al-Hilal favoured the West, with an unpredictable victor. The only factor I can derive is that West Asian sides have to change their game more than Eastern sides have to when they face up against each other. The overly physical Western game seems to be muted, a lot less frantic in transition in favour of a slower technical passing Eastern game. Time will tell if 2016 follows down a similar path.

AFC Champions League Round Review (Round of 16)

This last week saw the culmination of club football for much of Asia, as the AFC Champions League (ACL) went on their summer holidays at the end of the West Asian football calendar. While the likes of Japan, Korea, China and Uzbekistan kick on with domestic football through the coming months, those, especially from the Gulf were keen on finishing their season on a high with progress through to the last 8 of the competition. Those lucky sides to make it through to the quarter finals are Al-Hilal, Naft Tehran, Al-Ahli (Dubai) and Lekhwiya from the West, and Gamba Osaka, Jeonbuk Motors, Guangzhou Evergrande and Kashiwa Reysol from the East. The business end of the continental calendar kicks back into gear in August, in the meantime here’s a look back at the winners and losers from the round of 16.

The Player

Japanese footballing culture tends to gravitate to one talented individual who is often billed as a potential “Japanese Messi” that can lead the Samurai Blue over the coming generation that often ends in disappointment. The man in the current spotlight is Tokyo’s Yoshinori Muto, a speculated interest of English giants Chelsea. As the weeks tick by in the J-League season however, another, possibly greater known threat is starting to steal the young attacker’s thunder, that of Gamba Osaka’s Takashi Usami. He’s started the domestic season on fire, topping the early scoring charts in the J-League, and replicating the same calibre of performances on the continent as he guided his side through to the ACL quarter finals this Wednesday.

Ever since his return from his below par spell in Germany with Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim, Usami has revelled as a big fish in a small pond back in Japan. His movement in behind the forward line, or as a lone striker continues to cause all sorts of headaches for opposing defenders, this ACL round proved equally troublesome to the Seoul defenders aiming to shackle Japan’s highest domestic star. In the first leg, Usami immediately created the sublime, a fine volley from inside the box (on his unflavoured foot) crashed in for Gamba’s opener, before consolidating his side’s victory later in the half, twisting and turning a hapless defence before wrong footing the keeper with a low shot.

With the tie seemingly a formality, Usami was given a little time off as he left the field early in the second period of the return leg. His withdrawal didn’t come before being involved in both of Gamba’s first half goals however; first pulling the worried Seoul defence out to the left before picking out Brazilian Patric for the opener. His second assist of the night, this time a little more fortunate illustrated his nuisance factor more than his skill, as his blocked shot fell back to Kurata in space to clinch a second for the Japanese. Gamba’s back to back title successes domestically are starting to be fully realised with the quality they are demonstrating in the ACL. Another couple of Usami lead performances could see Gamba go all the way this year.

The Team

While for a neutral an Emirati derby of sorts between Al-Ain and Al-Ahli instantly jumped out as one of the stand out ties of the knockout phase, little observers would have expected the Dubai based Ahli squad to pose a great threat given they finished a whole 22 points off title winners Al-Ain in the Arabian Gulf League. The fact that Ahli are unlikely, unless they can muster a President’s Cup victory, to clinch a place in next year’s ACL made this encounter ever more important. What came, despite the level score on paper, was a thoroughly professional effort by Cosmin Olariou’s men, hitting one of ACL’s finest squads in a prolific 5 minute spell in the second leg that Ain couldn’t recover from.

The encounter over the two legs was broadly feisty and incredibly tight, the teams sharing a 0-0 stalemate thanks to the form of both keepers in Dubai. The second leg however lived up further to the billing as the sides shared 6 goals over the 90 minutes. After going in 1-0 down to another ACL Asamoah Gyan goal for Al-Ain, Al-Ahli came out the traps superbly in the second period, knowing full well that their clean sheet the week previous at home would count invaluably given the impact an away goal could be. Three goals in five minutes doomed the Emirati champions, who now needed three unanswered goals of their own to make it through.

The opener through Humeid Salmein, came with a little bit of luck attached to it, as it seemed to ricochet off the arm of the Emirati midfielder, however there was nothing fortunate about their second. Ahmed Khalil, often criticised for his streaky form in front of goal, was clearly having one of his good days, racing on to a through ball from Brazilian starlet Everton Ribeiro to fire past Khalid Essa. The same combo forced a third three minutes later, as Essa fumbled Ribeiro’s shot for Khalil to nip in with his second. Despite a late rally, a miracle would have been needed for Ain to turn it around as the game finished equal, with Ahli progressing on away goals. While their domestic campaign collapsed, an end of season promise of ACL silverware is now in the balance for Ahli. With an in form and firing Ahmed Khalil supported by the inspirational Everton Ribeiro behind, Ahli are one to watch out for in the quarters.

The Talking Point

It’s hard to make too many sweeping statements over one round of football, but the sudden collapse of three out of the four K-League representatives in the Round of 16 will lead to some murmured concerns from South Korean football fans. Only weeks after all four of their clubs made it through the group stage, defeats for Seoul (by Gamba Osaka), Seongnam (by Guangzhou Evergrande) and Suwon Bluewings (by Kashiwa Reysol) leaves Korea Republic with one sole representation of current champions Jeonbuk Motors in the final 8.

It has been argued over the last few years whether domestic Korean football is waning, given the quality of the playing staff available. Much of the Korean national side play abroad, mainly in Europe, but more and more in the wealthier Gulf, while overseas recruits into Asia are almost universally shunning Korea, not just for the West Asian cash, but now to East Asian rivals China and Japan. This concern was temporarily put to bed with an impressive ACL group stage but a major swipe of this scale could suggest future problems to come. The list of Korean winners of the ACL is lengthy, 6 sides have won the continental crown but none have really made their name as Korea Republic’s top dogs.

Recent records suggest that while this makes for a more attractive domestic game, with high competition for the title and ACL spots, success on the continent can’t be built upon as talent is usually spread around. It has become a region wide issue that has also been felt by Japan and Australia, leading to similar erratic performances on the continent. The gradual influx of money, focussed on the few, in particular at Guangzhou Evergrande, has seen the Chinese Super League profit from the high competition in their rival leagues. Once again the dominant Chinese outfit are through to the quarter finals, their fourth successive year since their major investment. Back to back titles and a growing foothold on the ACL could see Japan’s fortunes change in this area as Gamba Osaka build on their dominance, while Korea will be hoping for similar levels of consistency from their current leaders Jeonbuk in the next ACL round.

AFC Champions League Preview (Group D - 2015)

The 2015 AFC Asian Champions League kicks off this week. Here's a quick preview of the West Asian side of the draw concluding with Group D; including Emirati champions Al-Ahli, Iranian side Tractor Sazi, Uzbek underdogs Nasaf Qarshi and on form Jeddah based Al-Ahli.

Team: Al-Ahli

Country: United Arab Emirates

Manager: Cosmin Olaroiu (ROM)

Key Man: Everton Ribeiro (BRA)

One of the two Al-Ahli’s in Group D, Dubai's representative come into the tournament in a bit of a slump. Currently way off the the likes of Al-Jazira and Al-Ain in the title stakes, the reigning AGL holders need a major turnaround even to make the ACL places this term. Up until now, they’ve stood behind their underfire coach Cosmin Olaroiu, who hasn’t exactly had the best of start’s to the year after disappointing in charge of Saudi Arabia before returning to domestic duties. Numerous names have been linked to the top club job in the Emirates, but the likes of national team coach Mahdi Ali look unlikely to take charge before the end of the season. Their team has been bolstered in the January window with the introduction of highly rated Brazilian Everton Ribeiro and former Liverpool winger Omar Assaidi. National team heroes Walid Abbas and Ahmed Khalil provide some home based talent for the fans to cheer on.

Team: Tractor Sazi

Country: Iran

Manager: Toni Oliveira (POR)

Key Man: Edinho (BRA)

Tractor Sazi’s progression came via the Iranian Cup which was clinched at the latter end of last season, however their form in the league this term has upped their credentials going into the ACL. Despite the loss of Karim Ansarifard after his loan expired in the summer, Edinho has continued in great goalscoring form, firing Tractor into a reasonable shout of at least a direct ACL qualification next year. Only taking part in their third ACL campaign in their history, the acquisition of national team anchor Andranik Teymourian could prove a real coup. Their defensive record remains pretty poor but in a group that is experiencing average form, it’s anyone’s guess who could make it through to the knockout stages in this one.

Team: Nasaf Qarshi

Country: Uzbekistan

Manager: Ruziqul Berdiev (UZB)

Key Man: Artur Geyorkyan (TKM)

Perennial outsiders in the Uzbek League, Nasaf Qarshi have threatened to make 3^rd spot domestically universally their own. This year however offers them a new opportunity to grow as they go through to the ACL group stage for the first time in three years, as they aim to better their bottom placed finish in the group back in 2012. That said they aren’t inexperienced on the continental stage, mixing it in the playoffs and in the AFC Cup on number of occasions, taking the title of Asia’s second tier competition in 2011. Piggy backing on the success of the national team at all age ranges, Nasaf have a solid set up to fall back on, bolstered by the goals of Uzbek Golden Boot winner Artur Geyorkyan. The Turkmenistani international will hope to replicate his sensational domestic record on the continent.

Team: Al-Ahli

Country: Saudi Arabia

Manager: Christian Gross (SUI)

Key Man: Omar Al-Somah (SYR)

Saudi Pro League’s Al-Ahli are a little praised outfit that could prove wonders in a favourable group. Their season is starting to pick up momentum despite trailing Al-Nassr in the Saudi title race at present. Recent results have seen them pick up back to back victories over ACL rival Al-Hilal and an impressive extra time victory over Al-Qadsia of Kuwait in the ACL playoffs. Their latter victory over Hilal secured the first silverware of the new season, claiming the Crown Prince Cup earlier in the month. The form of sensational goalscorer Omar Al-Somah continues to propel Ahli forward, his 15 goals in14 domestic matches have been crucial inspight of a cruel injury picked up just before the new year. Ahli’s talents start further back however with the rising talent of Mustafa Al-Bassas and the returning Brazlian Bruno Cesar pulling the strings in midfield.