AFC Champions League Preview (West - 2019)

A month on from the Asian Cup, the rise of Qatar looks set to spill over into club football ahead of the new season of the Asian Champions League. Qatar in the main came from the periphery, formed around a squad that was almost exclusively based at home, thrusting previously unheralded youngsters Almoez Ali, Akram Afif, Bassam Al-Rawi and Assim Madibo into the limelight. Now, ready to prove they’re more than a mere flash in the pan upon the resumption of the Asian club calendar, can they wrestle back the ACL title to the West for the first time in 8 years?

The pinnacle may have been reached internationally, but the progress at club level is already in full flow; Qatari champions Al-Duhail and current league leaders Al-Sadd made it to the last eight of the Champions League last term, only to falter after the World Cup break against eventual finalists Persepolis (in the quarter & semi-final stages respectively). That added bit of experience required to take the initiative in these type of matches, is slowly seeping its way into the two pillars of Qatari club football, and off the back of their continental crown internationally, can attest to having the best home-grown players in the whole competition.

The foreign contingent is hardly lacking either; Al-Sadd’s Algerian striker Baghdad Bounedjah has amassed an incredible 34 goals across 18 matches this season, along the way pipping Lionel Messi to the ultimate world golden boot across the calendar year for 2018. He’s backed up by the highly influential Spanish duo of Xavi and Gabi from centre midfield and will be able to call upon Korean international Nam Tae-hee if they indeed replicate their exploits from last term and make it to the last eight.

Al-Duhail similarly boast a strong overseas quota; adding Japanese playmaker Shoya Nakajima and Belgian wide-man Edmilson Junior to an already terrifying attack line led by Moroccan Youssef El-Arabi. They’ve also sought to reaffirm defensively, bringing in Medhi Benatia from Juventus; a real coup for Asian football in general given his pedigree and his age, which sets up a tantalising partnership with the highly rated Al-Rawi in central defence.

The ingredients are set for a sustained return to form for the West. However, the regular argument against such is the highly detrimental mid-campaign break, which has the possibility of disrupting harmony and squad membership across a number of teams. This year in particular promises extensive upheaval, with the young Qatari contingent; headlined by Almoez Ali and Akram Afif, looking likely to head to Europe over the domestic off-season. Then there is always the case of managerial change; given neither Qatari club will envisage an close season where they settle for a domestic runners-up spot gladly. Where this leaves West Asian clubs in general is equally uncertain, and far from an ideal standpoint for any side with serious ACL title ambitions.

A side that has such focussed priorities, Al-Hilal from the Saudi Pro League, can attest to the schedule's drawbacks, given their tendencies for wholesale changes at the drop of a hat. The club synonymous with the Champions League of late, boast the strongest overseas contingent of the whole tournament; not just in their four nominated ACL players, but in their strength in depth available to them domestically. The signing of Italian Sebastian Giovinco in the January transfer window, more than makes up for Omar Abdulrahman’s continued injury layoff, in behind prolific French striker Bafetimi Gomis and Brazilian playmaker Carlos Eduardo, the Riyadh club’s attack makes for an exciting balance that promises an abundance of goals.

Further back, the inclusion of Socceroo Milos Degenek as their fourth overseas player, squeezes out the likes of Jonathan Soriano, Andre Carrillo, Ali Al-Habsi and Alberto Botia. An embarrassment of underutilised riches some may say, but with a domestic title bout to juggle alongside the Champions League group stages, the flexibility at hand for new coach Zoran Mamic looks impressive in its possibilities.

The criticism against them surrounds their mentality and tendency for change. Aside from odd moments, Saudi football regularly frustrates, the playing staff on paper may look to be tremendous options; Salman Al-Faraj, Salem Al-Dawsari and new signing Hatem Bahebri are all seasoned internationals, but have regularly looked off colour , especially in January’s frustrated Asian Cup campaign where Saudi Arabia generally struggled. In addition, the swift hand of change above them, most notably and inexplicably demonstrated in the sacking coach Jorge Jesus last month, can only threaten to destabilise the club’s pursuits further.

With that, the solid proposition, of experience and relative organisation is an outside bet for success. With this look no further than last year’s finalists Persepolis. Rarely flashy, with a diminishing amount of star power, they offer a hearty alternative to the big spending nature of many of their West Asian neighbours. While they still can call upon Iranian international goalkeeper Alireza Beiranvand and Iraqi midfield maestro Bashar Resan, the recruitment of Mehdi Torabi may give them that extra spark to force home wins in those early group stage encounters.

From the elite to the chasing pack, on paper at least a gulf in quality is starting to grow. No league has been left behind more in this regard, than the Arabian Gulf League, which looks to be entering this continental season at their lowest ebb. Al Ain, their primary force for many years look a pale imitation of their past, Al-Ahli have plummeted since their intercity merger, whilst Al-Jazira’s continued absence from the top table of Asian football remains a frustration to many, given their significant talent base to call upon.

Al-Wahda and Al-Wasl make up the Emirati representatives, with neither having experienced great form of late, the latter in particular will be considerably more focussed on the prospect of relegation than competing in Asia. After their whirlwind start to last season, the wheels are well and truly starting to fall off. They’ll hope the individual brilliance of their Brazilian catalyst Lima will be enough to propel some energy, both at home and on the continent.

Another to be feeling the strain, Saudi giants Al-Ittihad are in even worse trouble, currently in the automatic relegation places, with nine games to go and onto their fourth coach in 12 months. Into the breach of the underwhelming tenure of Slavan Bilic comes former Itti coach José Luis Sierra, returning after leaving the club only last summer, with fans of the Tigers praying that they can return to the form of last season, spearheaded by the likes of Fahad Al-Muwallad, Romarinho and new signing Abdulaziz Al-Bishi.

Outside the usual gameplayers, the re-emergence of Uzbek football (this sounds familiar…) is promised once again on the upcoming Asian Champions League campaign. While champions Lokomotiv Tashkent look slightly weaker for their off-season transfer business, fellow capital giants Pakhtakor are starting to make waves, thanks to a number of interesting domestic signings and an early signal of intent through the ACL playoffs.

Purchases of key cogs from Uzbekistan’s strong youth set up that succeeded continentally of late; defensive anchor Odiljon Hamrobekov, left back Akramjon Komilov and the returning Dostonbek Khamdamov from Russia, Pakhtakor will look to bring through some of the same inventiveness and speed, impressively demonstrated at the Asian Cup through to the club environment. Supplementing the arrival of an extensive youth stock, leading Uzbek scorer over the last two seasons Marat Bikmaev returns, after leaving Pakhtakor back in 2004, to add a focal point at the sharp end of the attack.

The lowest expectations of any group stage side might be found at Al-Zawra’a, who thanks to IPL colleagues Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, who dominated the AFC Cup over the last few years, have sealed Iraqi football an automatic birth into the round robin stage of the tournament for the first time. While little is expected of them, the fact they get to play in their own country (ironically not the case for much of their group given the ongoing political tensions) and can call upon a couple of notable gems in the making (headlined by young midfielder Safaa Hadi), they’ll be up to cause some real upsets early on.

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 Preview (The West - 2017)

2016 was another example of regional dominance in Asia, as Jeonbuk Motors made it 10 titles from 11, and four in succession for East Asia when they beat Al Ain from the West in November’s AFC Champions League final. The decline in Western fortunes has run alongside the demise of some of the region's biggest teams, a trend that in 2017 looks to be reversed to a degree with the return of a couple of the more established names.

Esteghlal, one of Asia’s most recognisable teams return to the continent showpiece for the first time in three years. Recent campaigns have been pretty miserable for the the Blues, a state of affairs that persists to this day with a crushing transfer ban hitting them only at the start of the year, denying them and neutral football fans alike to witness a central midfield duo made up of Asian legends Andranik Teymourian and Server Djeparov for the upcoming Champions League campaign.

Ban withstanding it’s been a pretty productive last week for Esteghlal; they were able to inch into the group stage after a penalty shoot out victory over a Xavi Hernandez led Al-Sadd (the Spaniard has now failed to reach the ACL group stages in two playoff attempts), before clinching all three points in the all important Tehran derby with fellow ACL competitors and current Persian Gulf Pro League leaders Persepolis.

Another Asian great Persepolis can hardly complain given their transfer dealings of the last year, bringing in Iranian internationals Jalal Hosseini and Alireza Beiranvand to supplement an already growing list of national team squad hopefuls. That being said, the last week has shown whatever Alireza Mansourian has brought into Esteghlal during his short tenure, makes you believe that the Blue half of Iran’s capital city could have something of a redemption in form ahead of the ACL, with Kaveh Rezaei leading the line (after impressing in the same competition for Zob Ahan last year) you could punt for a lot worse.

One of their group rivals in the first round are returning ACL finalists from 2015 Al-Ahli Dubai. An all too good example of the erratic nature of the domestic Arabian Gulf League, Ahli return as domestic champions, sandwiched by two (so far) disappointing league campaigns; a lowly 7th placed finish in 2014/15 and this season, where they currently trail leaders Al-Jazira by a considerable 9 point margin. As they proved two years ago however, a lacking domestic campaign can inspire a change of scenery in Champions League football, and with a strike force that comprises of Asamoah Gyan, Everton Ribeiro, Ahmed Khalil and Lima (once returned from injury) they’ll be handily tipped, on paper at least to go far.

In the void left by the usual suspects, a more gritty, defensively organised approach has reaped the rewards in the West, especially from the less fancied teams in the draw. Last year’s runs from Zob Ahan and Lokomotiv Tashkent, may not have been aesthetically pleasing, but they warranted their progression and were arguably the story of the year in the West. They were the only two sides to progress to knockout stages unbeaten, with the meanest defences along the way. Zob Ahan, tournament specialists in recent campaigns return as Hazfi Cup champions, while Loko, as reigning UFPL champions will have to do without their talismanic playmaker Djeparov who has ended up at Sepahan on loan for the rest of the season.

Relying on the blueprint that a system and clear style of play is usurping quality on paper, the Leicester City of Iran, Esteghlal Khuzestan enter for their ACL debut. Solid, organised but far from flashy, Esteghlal like their English counterparts are predictably struggling in their domestic defence (currently lying in 7th in the PGPL) and will have little pressure applied to them to succeed on the continent. Serial Champions League team-hopper Aloys Nong is always a credible goal threat in this competition, while Mohammad Tayebi is looking to finish his career on a high after peaking over the last 12 months, as the resolute linchpin in the Persian champions’ defence.

Predictable money may be better placed however on those who achieved the most last term. Finalists Al-Ain look a decent bet again, given Omar Abdulrahman avoided leaving in the winter and they've brought in experienced Saudi forward Nasser Al-Shamrani in attack to provide that killer instinct severely lacked against Jeonbuk late last year. Al-Shamrani’s parent club Al-Hilal also look in good shape, with a tight grasp on the Saudi Pro.League title race at present, with the acquisition of Omar Hawsawi from fellow title rivals Al-Ahli Jeddah proving a defensive master stroke so far domestically.

While they may be lacking their defensive bedrock, the reigning Saudi champions Ahli remain poised to mark a challenge. The usual attacking cohort of Omar Al-Somah and Taisir Al-Jassim is boosted by some credible service supplied by one of the best players of the last 12 months in Iraqi international Saad Abdulameer and Abdulfattah Assiri who has impressed in his first season since moving from local rivals Al-Ittihad.

Elsewhere, a case could be made for a Qatari challenge, with the return of another familiar face to the fold in Al-Rayyan, led by another regular on the continental scene Sebastian Soria. Or will it eventually be time for an Ali Makbkhout inspired Al-Jazira to take the initiative; the current Emirati pace setters are finally in the groove and finding some consistently after letting down admirers over the last few campaigns.

One thing we’re assuming is that the finalist spot looks destined to come from the Gulf, with the usual lurking presence of the Uzbek Pro League taking a back seat from contention. The diminishing power of their domestic game runs in stark contrast with their national team fortunes which remain positive in World Cup qualification. A clear trend of outward transfers seems to have been behind this; key players at key clubs, with the likes of Igor Sergeev and Egor Krimets at Pakhtakor and Sardar Rashidov at Bunyodkor having moved elsewhere in Asia; great for national team progression, but not so great for their home clubs they’ve left behind.

In each of the last two editions Uzbekistan have provided 4 participants to the group stage, this term however they only just scraped two. In the long run a penalty shootout victory in this year’s ACL playoffs for Bunyodkor against last season’s semi-finalists El-Jaish could be pivotal to the league’s longevity. Amongst a talented home based lineup that breaks from the old ambitions of high spending, Dostonbek Khamdamov and Eldor Shomurodov eyed up as the next stars to move abroad (maybe even to make inroads into Europe) are a couple of players with “one to watch” tags affixed to them. With little made of their hopes, the Uzbek clubs may be merely keen to avoid another clean sweep of group exits, as was recorded in 2015.

As we edge closer to kick off, while the general consensus remains that the East remain out in front, the draw of clubs in the West looks extremely enticing. With a mixture of the established (Esteghlal, Al-Hilal, Persepolis) along with the new (Esteghlal Khuzestan, Al-Taawoun), we could be looking at a pivotal season given the impact this may have on the national game. I for one am quick to grumble that West Asian players are too cautious when it comes to testing themselves abroad either in East Asia or Europe, however with so much talent now playing in WCQ one week, then the ACL the next, the region’s game can only benefit.

AFC Champions League Round Review (Round of 16)

The knockout stages of the AFC Champions League began in similarly enthralling circumstances to that of the group stage culmination earlier in the month, producing 4 debutant quarter-finalists in matches that included a penalty shootout victory for Seoul over Urawa Reds, last gasp winners for Chinese duo Shandong Luneng and Shanghai SIPG against Sydney and Tokyo and an enthralling near comeback which eventually saw Al Nasr edge Tractor Sazi. Elsewhere El Jaish put six past their domestic rivals Lekhwiya, Jeonbuk Motors turned on their vast experience against Melbourne Victory, Al Ain stunted Zob Ahan’s fantastic continental campaign, while Lokomotiv Tashkent defied the history books to succeed over West Asia’s most successful team in Al Hilal. Picking out the individual star performers, here’s a look back at the winners from the past fortnight.

The Player

With defending champions Guangzhou Evergrande and big spending Jiangsu Suning falling at the first hurdle in the ACL group stage, assumptions that the Chinese Super League would immediately dominate the continent threatened to fall flat even before they had begun. In the end the CSL needed two last minute winners to ensure they even had participation in the quarter-finals, a further two exits would’ve no doubt seen questions being fired at the league once more merely a month after their perceived group failure. While the foreign imports have been the league’s main head turners in the past few years, both winners were scored by home born stars, Wu Lei of Shanghai SIPG in particular is demonstrating that Chinese players are more than just team filler.

His two goals over the fortnight were SIPG’s only efforts, his away goal in Tokyo in the first leg ultimately being the difference to inch Shanghai over the line. The goals weren’t glamourous by any means, but they were predatory, initially latching onto a pass across the box in the first leg, before responding quickest to a goalkeeping save in the second. These were far from what we’ve grown accustomed to from Wu since his introduction onto the domestic and national stage. His positional variety has matured immensely since his transfer to SIPG last year, previously seen purely as a modern day link between midfield and attack, Wu has harnessed his physicality and range of abilities, to slot in on either flank or even flex around into a capable central striker, as both of his goals attest to.

Alongside Elkeson, Dario Conca and Asamoah Gyan, Wu is the fourth wheel in SIPG's devastating attacking vehicle, which hasn’t been deterred but seemingly improved since Gyan’s injury of late. His form domestically has mirrored his compatriots, however it’s been in Asia that Wu’s really stood out from the pack scoring 8 goals in his 7 matches, only missing the target in two of his games. His goals as indicated above have demonstrated Wu’s varied ability across the attacking line; typical cool striker finishes (v Suwon in March) one-twos in close proximity (v Gamba in April), finishing on the volley, shooting from distance after bursting forward from deep (both v Muang Thong United in February) and of course the predatory (v Melbourne in February & his double against Tokyo this month). Wu’s making a great case to become the player of the tournament already, and he’s far from done yet.

The Team

If you’d been pressed to predict a side that at the quarter-final stage would remain unbeaten, I’d hazard a guess you wouldn’t have picked Lokomotiv Tashkent, let alone anyone from the Uzbek Pro League. Eight matches in however, and the Uzbek Railways owned club continue on like the metaphoric train on their emblem after defeating Saudi giants Al-Hilal in the Round of 16. Years of heartache for Uzbek football seems to be finally turning a corner, with Loko going further than any Uzbek club since Bunyodkor’s famous semi-final run in 2012.

Their success which has been a story of steady improvement rather than a flash in the pan; 3 consecutive 2nd place UFPL finishes, two ACL playoff appearances, followed by their debut in the group stage last year. It’s been a gradual culture change in Uzbekistan also, long gone are the days where the country’s top players only went to Tashkent’s big two in Pakhtakor or Bunyodkor, Loko are now attracting players from up and down the league, including those from their capital rivals. Tempting back the likes of Timur Kapadze, Jasur Hasanov alongside returning national team captain Server Djeparov has seen them assemble one of the strongest sides in the league.

Their unbeaten run in Asia has been broadly based on a solid defence, only conceding 4 goals along the way, but they have been clinical when needed in attack. Another former Pakhtakor player Temurkhuja Abdukholikov is the form striker at home and abroad with 10 goals so far over both competitions, while national team defender Islom Tukhtahujaev proved his worth in the opposition’s box with the opener against Hilal. Both goals came directly off Djeparov’s delivery, but it would be a disservice to assume his return home was the sole factor in their season's rise, instead it’s been the final piece of the puzzle which could see Loko steamroll their way through to the final.

The Talking Point

This season as a whole has had a sense of changing the guard about it, with the established order struggling to compete with inexperienced but well organised so-called smaller sides. From Guangzhou Evergrande’s “shock” group no show, to Al-Hilal and Lekhwiya’s unexpected exits this week it hasn’t been an easy season for the likely lads especially in the West. Underdog tales including the attacking vibrancy of El Jaish, the assembled team ethic of Lokomotiv and the youthful dynamism of Zob Ahan have thoroughly leveled the playing field, leaving only one usual suspect on that side of the draw in Al Ain.

This of course is a steady leveling that has been occurring regularly over recent seasons, the demise of Tehran giants Esteghlal and Persepolis has seen them both miss out on ACL football in recent seasons, while despite the high profile signing of Xavi, Al Sadd continue to struggle to find any sort of consistency. Elsewhere Al-Ahli Dubai languished in mid-table last term, unable to retain their West ACL title this term. Going forward to next season’s competition, the new/returning names of Al Rayyan of Qatar and Esteghlal Khuzestan of Iran are set to offer yet another dimension to the tournament.

The reasons behind the turn in fortunes differ from country to country, ranging from off the pitch financial struggles to on the pitch tactical naivety. The Asian game even up to very recently was a closed shop when in came to preparation and coverage, widening the competition to a global audience has enabled those astute enough to use tactics to their advantage, as Zob Ahan illustrated this year, a team made up of promising youngsters rather than seasoned professionals, can take advantage of the usual elite. In an enclosed state, the product continues to improve as a spectacle, as predicting a winner year on year becomes more and more difficult. Whether a lack of consistency in quality of some squads may prove detrimental when we go further down the line in West v East encounters and Club World Cup competitions, we'll possibly see as soon as later on this year.

AFC Champions League Preview (The West - 2016)

Tuesday marks the return of the AFC Champions League group stage, some 3 months since Guangzhou Evergrande lifted last year’s trophy in late November. The Chinese giants’ victory continues to reaffirm the trend of East Asian domination, clinching the region's third trophy in a row, and 4th out of the last 5 attempts. The question remains, after a busy off season in China, are the West in threat of being left behind?

Many aspects suggest they will. Spending power for one is starting to become a sore point; despite the vast amounts of wealth being utilised in the Gulf, West Asian leagues such as the Qatar Stars League and the Arabian Gulf League’s recent spending has looked mediocre in comparison to their Eastern neighbours. The “big” name signings in January, (albeit the mid-season window) included many in-league trades rather than the expected plundering of Europe’s elite leagues which we’d grown accustomed to over the last 5 years. One of the few that made the headlines was Kenwyne Jones’ move to Emirati side Al-Jazira. A recognisable name but hardly of the quality to compare with the likes of Alex Teixiera and Jackson Martinez.

Those who had previously modelled themselves as “galactico” impersonations have either scaled back their spending or suffered severely on the pitch. Qatari champions Lekhwiya, often criticised locally for buying their way towards domestic and continental success have cut their budget significantly, letting go two of their most prized assets in Mohamed Muntari and Vladimir Weiss, while fellow QSL side Al Sadd, despite fielding arguably the biggest name of them all in World Cup winner Xavi Hernandez fell in the ACL playoffs.

It looks unlikely that either of the remaining QSL clubs in the competition will make a sustained push for a final birth, mainly because of their domestic form. Lekhwiya alongside El Jaish, who qualified via the playoffs are already a clear distance behind surprise package Al Rayyan domestically, and will now look to reengineer some form ahead of the ACL.

There lies one issue for the West; the ACL calendar. It suits the majority of the East Asian participants, as it runs the same pattern set out by their domestic schedule. However, for the likes of the West (excluding the Uzbek Pro League which kicks off in March), the teams taking part often achieved their qualification almost 9 months prior when their 14/15 domestic seasons concluded in May.

The clear example of this is ACL qualified Al-Jazira from the Emirates. Second last term after a great 14/15 season, but have subsequently gone off the boil, as they struggle currently in mid-table of the Arabian Gulf League. Conversely Al-Ahli Dubai came to life in the latter part of the year, currently contesting for top spot domestically and made it all the way to the ACL final in November. Irrespective of form Ahli had no effect on their qualification for this year’s tournament after finishing way off the pace domestically back in May, consequently won’t be playing in this year’s edition.

Theoretically if to succeed you need consistency of form over a number of years rather than flash in the pan seasons, which arguably leaves many of the Saudi Pro League qualifiers with the best chance of success this year. Champions Al-Nassr alongside Al-Ahli Jeddah and Al-Hilal were all present in the 2015 edition, and will all look to build on their foundations this year. Al-Nassr may be struggling domestically this term but have announced Raul Caneda as their new coach after sacking Fabio Cannavaro earlier this month, while Ahli’s extraordinary domestic unbeaten record that stretches back to January 2014 continues to show their consistency and resilience which at times was apparent in their ACL campaign last year.

Al-Hilal, despite missing out on the domestic title for the last couple of seasons, will once again be West Asia’s spearhead, and most likely side to make it to the ACL final. Their revamped forward line of Carlos Eduardo and Ailton Almeida now have 6 months of Middle Eastern football in them and have already shown their capabilities on the continent. This alongside the re-emerging Nasser Al-Shamrani, who’ll want to put 2015 to the back of his mind, after missing much of the calendar through injury and suspension.

As is always the case however with Saudi football, controversy on and off the field tends to make the headlines. To follow up their planned boycott of Palestine in World Cup qualification, the Saudi Football Federation have put in a bid with the AFC to move their ACL away matches in Iran to neutral venues over safety concerns. You won’t be surprised to hear that this hasn’t gone down well with Iran who hardly have a good relationship with the Kingdom already. If such a proposal is accepted, Iran have counter proposed that they’ll withdraw their clubs from the competition. The AFC have wimped out at making any further ruling until March, deferring all group matches between the two countries taking place in Iran until match day’s 5 and 6 in May.

Going into 2016, Iranian football on the pitch is hardly in a good place anyway. The league’s meagre resources continue to pale in comparison with their Gulf rivals, one comparison being the quality of overseas recruits they have; the top 12 goalscorers in the Persian Gulf Pro League are all Iranian, compare this to the Qatar Stars League and the Arabian Gulf League, where only 1 of their top 14 goal scorers is a home national, and you instantly see the differing pools of players the clubs' coaches have at their disposal.

The other problem area which in this case is shared with Qatar is the demise in form of the country’s so called bigger clubs. Iran go into the ACL for a second year running without Tehran heavyweight Esteghlal, alongside rivals Persepolis or even their best achiever of last year Naft Tehran. In their place champions Sepahan are currently sitting in mid-table domestically, Tractor Sazi who after multiple losses in the summer transfer window are languishing in 7th while Zob Ahan, arguably the form of the three, lack any recent history of continental action. After such a torrid time last year, it looks to be another struggle for the PGPL clubs in 2016.

This comes back to a desirability of consistency. Something the Uzbek Pro League can usually build upon, given their unique position within the West of currently being in their off season. Similar to the advantages felt in the East, the clubs in top form are consequently the clubs entering the ACL group stage namely champions Pakhtakor, Cup winners Nasaf Qarshi, alongside Lokomotiv Tashkent and Bunyodkor. Four sides with comparatively large amounts of experience at this level with a good base to work from given they’ve been in pre-season for a few months.

The downside for the UPFL sides is their economic climate, which remains the weakest in the region. Such a lack of resources is a clear catalyst that saw all four of their representatives exit at the group stage last time out. Twelve months down the line, you’d struggle to claim that any are in a better shape, with big names exiting regularly; (Sardar Rashidov and Egor Krimets have left for to Uzbekistan’s more affluent Asian neighbours) alongside a lack of any notable imported talent.

With a lack of money flying about, the clear policy has shifted to focus purely on youth. Bunyodkor, traditionally the big spenders of the league have drastically curtailed their spending, in place they’ve developed a set of fantastic youth talents that can rival any side in Asia. Members of the Uzbek’s U20 World Cup squad that made the quarter-finals in New Zealand last year; Khamdamov, Urinboev & Shomurodov lead the line for the Swallows, adding some unpredictability into whether they can actually step up on the continental club game as we start the ACL group phase.

The draw itself can once again be broken down into a number of inter-regional clashes between leagues rather than teams, as again only 5 countries are represented over the 4 Western groups. The annual predictability of these rounds is starting to drag but of course it’s the necessity given the considerable travel costs that are only partly covered by the confederation. The remaining certainty since qualification, that you’re guaranteed to play three from four different leagues takes a little from the excitement when the draw takes place, but there are still pockets of the scheduling that have caused some interest.

Aside from the Saudi-Iranian off the pitch tension which will be highly talked about right up until their encounters in May, it’s exciting to see Al-Ittihad return to AFC’s top competition after a year’s absence, if not for their on the pitch exploits but for their packed houses and passionate support that continue to be one of the region’s greatest selling points. The impressive form of the likes of Al-Ahli Jeddah, Al-Hilal and Al Ain will also top the bill as the must-see teams, but I’m probably not alone in feeling a little anticlimactic about this side of the draw.

We’re of course missing some big name form sides of the last six months, Al-Rayyan are 15 points clear in Qatar are absent, the top three in Iran are also, the region’s best player Xavi won’t add to his brief minutes in the competition, while the West’s best team of 2015 Al-Ahli Dubai haven’t even had the chance to qualify via the playoffs. Unless there’s a change to the running order, these gaps in form clubs qualifying is going to continue into 2017. At the end of the day, the West is playing catch up, and given the early signs from the continental draw and the activity in the January transfer window, the East look favourites once again. 

AFC Champions League Round Review (Quarter-Finals)

With almost all leagues in Asia either resuming from their summer breaks or continuing towards their season culminations, the AFC Champions League moved forward unabated through the quarter-final stages. Victories for Guangzhou Evergrande and Gamba Osaka set them up to contest the unofficial “Eastern final” while Dubai based Al-Ahli face Al-Hilal from Saudi Arabia in the crunch Western decider. Whether it be by coincidence or not, the last round of ties brought up many talking points regarding team’s increase in or lack of schedules in the run up to the quarters, while others point to experience and quality of the opponents involved being the real turning factors of the ties.

The Player

For a club of Al-Hilal’s size, a final appearance in the ACL is often seen as not quite enough, more is expected and ever since their fateful performance and ultimate result against Western Sydney Wanders at the end of 2014, the pressure has been clearly focused on an even better run this year. A key catalyst was clearly sought in their recruitment policy, with one man immediately encapsulating what had been demanded, that man being Carlos Eduardo. The Brazilian playmaker, turned forward for Hilal’s purposes bagged three over their two legged quarter with Lekhwiya, leaving his club two encounters away from a repeat final appearance.

The starlet, signed from Porto in the summer initially seemed somewhat of an archetypal Brazilian import into the Gulf, relatively short in stature, quick and skilful with an eye for creation. What hadn’t been appreciated at the time, was his ability to come alive in the penalty area, something he immediately produced on his debut in the Saudi Super Cup that took place in London, stealing a march on the defenders to tap in close to goal. His desire and forward thinking again was in full force over the quarters two legged tie with Lekhwiya, the first a carbon copy of his debut Super Cup goal, his second a predatory header under pressure, and his third away in Qatar a tap in after a loose ball went missing in the Lekhwiya defence. 

His ability wasn’t ever the question, and is rarely the question when overseas recruits (the vast majority being Brazilian) are brought in to the Gulf, but usually it’s their commitment. Carlos Eduardo is a picture of dedication and has been from the moment he stepped onto the pitch and has already dovetailed nicely with fellow Brazilian and new recruit Ailton Almeida in Hilal’s attack. The Riyadh giants in fact have had a relatively strong success rate in getting the best out of their overseas quota. While European recruits continue to frustrate, the likes Digao, Kwak Tae-Hwi and Thiago Neves have performed admirably into fans’ hearts and the regions footballing folk law. The way Eduardo has kicked off his career in Saudi Arabia suggests his could be a name to watch out for in this year’s semis.

The Team

It says a lot about a team that can change their manager mid-season without any consequence on the field, the fact they can leave out a global superstar from their competition squad out of choice and that they can compete at such a high level with 80% plus of their starting eleven being made up from their nation. That however is how Guangzhou Evergrande continue to progress, as they within a sensational fortnight for the Chinese powerhouse, manoeuvred themselves into yet another title pursuit and comprehensively moved into the ACL semi-finals effortlessly.

Their style has also shown off the team’s flexibility, an extra string to their bow in pursuit of silverware in the coming months. In their first leg victory over Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol, they pulled off some of the most exciting attacking football on the continent, attacking wizardry from Gao Lin complimented perfectly with the sheer class of Paulinho who pulled off the extraordinary with one of the greatest free kick goals in the competitions history. All this was put on hold as they calmly walked through their second leg at home, often displaying a destructive side to their game that may have put off some onlookers but offers an ominous look into the capabilities of Guangzhou as they ease towards the closing stages of the season.

That said, their returning home leg wasn’t all efficiency over glamour. Huang Bowen’s fantastic volley, right up there with Paulinho’s free kick the match before was a delight for the vast home crowd. Guangzhou’s progress has already been banked upon as one of the clear favourites for the title, if not in the continent but especially in the East. Scolari’s appointment has proved to be a masterstroke, and with the likes of Robinho, who has well adapted to Chinese domestic football, waiting in the wings to be fully integrated into ACL football, it’s looking promising that they will have too much for a rather hit and miss Gamba Osaka.

The Talking Point

It all threatened to collapse and collapse it did. Lekhwiya’s ACL performance up to the quarters had been nothing but impressive, however in a swift two week period, calamity on and off the field has left the Qatari champions falling again somewhat off their dream of competing at the top end of Asian club football. The factors in their quick demise came through bad luck, questionable scheduling and in the end poor defensive play. With their domestic season only kick-starting into life in the coming weeks, the QSL has been given a loud wakeup call if they are going to improve going into 2016.

The start date of course initially raised concerns going into the quarterfinal double header. While Al-Hilal, their devastating opponents had successfully started their league campaign with a handful of games, Lekhwiya haven’t featured in competitive action for the whole of summer and were even given a match off in preparation for their second leg, which afterwards looks to have been the wrong angle to go for. On the pitch, the crucial injury to key playmaker Vladimir Weiss wounded one aspect of the Qataris play, while mistakes aplenty, headlined by national keeper Lecomte’s poorly executed clearance that lead to Hilal’s opener in Riyadh started the flow of inaccuracies right across the pitch.

In the dugout, Djamal Belmadi has a divisive managerial style that won admirers and sceptics a plenty during his time as Qatar boss last year and he has carried on this into his domestic management career. For someone so young, he’s not afraid to change it up but at times it comes across naïve and it was plainly showed up in Saudi Arabia. By the end of the exhaustive tie, tension was at boiling point, a decidedly offside goal apart, challenges and nerves were fraught. The images beamed over the web at the culmination of the match of club captain and usual calm focus Chico Flores rising to away fans baiting was a sad scene to see but an all too familiar frustration of a miserable couple of weeks for all Lekhiwya fans.

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 C - 2015)

The 2015 AFC Asian Champions League kicks off this week. Here's a quick preview of the West Asian side of the draw with Group C; including Iraian champions Foolad, Uzbek Cup winners Lokomotiv Tashkent, Saudi trailblazers Al-Hilal and experienced ACL campaigners Al-Sadd.

Team: Foolad

Country: Iran

Manager: Dragan Skocic (CRO)

Key Man: Soroush Rafiei (IRN)

Champions of Iran, Foolad alongside Naft are revolutionising the Persian Gulf Pro League with their new, exciting, youth focused brand of football. Both domestically and on the continent Foolad continiue to fly the flag, becoming the only bright spot of a disasterous ACL campaign for the country last time around by making it out of the group stage. A couple of disappointing results since the Asian Cup break has seen them drop down the table but they remain in with a shout of defending their title. While they’ve provided a solid unit, with the best defensive record of the PGPL, they have lacked a point of attack. However, the emergence of in form Cameroonian striker Aloys Nong seems to have solved their impotency for now as they prepare to kick off their ACL campaign.

Team: Lokomotiv Tashkent

Country: Uzbekistan

Manager: Vadim Abramov (AZE)

Key Man: Ignatiy Nesterov (UZB)

Uzbek Cup champions Lokomotiv Tashkent’s story from 2^nd division make weights to Premier title contenders has been pretty impressive. Flooded with money, Loko’s rise looks to have no end, with a title chase surely on the charge once the domestic game returns in March. They possess an array of talent including national team stalwarts, Ignatiy Nesterov who was one of the Goalkeepers of the tournament in January’s Asian Cup and the versatile Timur Kapadze who offers an experienced head in midfield. The worry they may have is in front of goal, as last season’s top scorer Farhod Tajivev has exited to Malaysia. The return to Uzbek football of highly rated Temurkhuja Abdukholiqov after a miserable time in Croatia promises much, but he will need to hit the ground running if they are to succeed in the group stage.

Team: Al-Hilal

Country: Saudi Arabia

Caretaker Manager: Ciprian Panait (ROM)

Key Man: Nawaf Al-Abid (KSA)

Arguably in possession of the deepest squad in the AFC, West Asia’s most successful outfit Al-Hilal are going through a relative slump after being narrowly pipped to the ACL title at the end of last year. Since then  everything’s really petered out as they’ve attempted to catch up on their games in hand. A bunch of erratic results later, compounded by a Crown Prince Cup final defeat to Al-Ahli saw hero turned villain Laurentiu Reghecampf exit as the club’s fall guy, leaving a club desperately seeking form and a new coach as they return to their favourite tournament. Never afraid of spending big, Marcelo Bielsa and Herve Renard are the latest names to be linked with the vacant job, whether a big name will eventually be in place to steer a title charge is yet to be seen.

Team: Al-Sadd

Country: Qatar

Manager: Hussein Amotta (MOR)

Key Man: Khalfan Ibrahim (QAT)

One of the Gulf’s most impressive ACL performers in recent years, Al-Sadd go into 2015’s edition with a hand of luck after only qualifying for the group stage after back to back penalty shootout victories in the playoffs. They come through on a wave of excitement however after their game of the tournament dislay sharing 8 goals with Al-Wahda last week finally fell in the Qatari's favour. For years now they’ve possessed a great attacking lineup, but have until this stage lacked a real number 9 to pin their goalscoring duties on after Brazilian Muriqui picked up a substantial injury back in September. Another Brazilian, former Wolfsburg and Al-Ahli strker Grafite has joined just in time for the ACL, assisting the burden on the likes of Qatari wide man Hassan Al-Haydos, who now can move back to his desired position.

AFC Champions League Preview (Group A - 2015)

The 2015 AFC Asian Champions League kicks off this week. Here's a quick preview of the West Asian side of the draw starting with Group A; including Al-Nassr of Saudi Arabia, Qatari champions Lekhwiya, Iranian big boys Pesepolis and Uzbek side Bunyodkor.

Team: Al-Nassr

Country: Saudi Arabia
Manager: Jorge da Silva (URU)
Key Man: Mohammad Al-Sahlawi (KSA)

Al-Nassr enter the AFC Champions League in impressive form after stretching their lead at the top of the Saudi Pro League to 8 points in the last week. It was questioned whether they could keep up their impressive form that led them to clinch the title last season, but the Yellow’s have gone from strength to strength this campaign, going into this season’s continental tournament as a real outsider for the silverware on offer. Their rise has been built on the back of Mohammad Al-Sahlawi’s goals, the striker has been in red hot form this season, which he carried over to the national team in last month’s Asian Cup. A resurrgance in form of centre back Omar Hawsawi and Polish international Adrian Mierzejewski gives Nassr a balanced look across the pitch.

Team: Lekhwiya
Country: Qatar
Manager: Michael Laudrup (DAN)
Key Man: Nam Tae-Hee (KOR)

Qatari football is turning into a predictable affair as the top two look destined to run away with it. The ACL now provides the likes of Lekhwiya a new challenge as they look to make a real fist of this year’s edition after a poor group stage exit last time around. The Doha based club managed by former Swansea City manager Michael Laudrup are an unpredictable beast with much of their attacking exploits depending on the goalscoring form of Sebastian Soria. In behind the talismanic striker, Nam Tae-Hee is hitting some of his best form, while they have adequate support from the flanks in the likes of former Manchester City winger Vladimir Weiss and Tunisian international Youssef Msakni.

Team: Persepolis
Country: Iran
Manager: Hamid Derakhshan (IRN)
Key Man: Mohammad Nouri (IRN)

The ACL will prove a welcome distraction for Iranian giants Persepolis after a miserable start to their Persian Gulf Pro League campaign. They’ve never really recovered from the financial crisis that hit the club last summer which saw key players; Pooladi, Hosseini and Khalatbari exit under a black cloud. What they’ve brought in to replenish the squad has yet to really pay dividends. While the acquisition of Costa Rican international Michael Umana has provided security in place of Hosseini, an early injury to hot shot striker Reza Noruzi has left Persepolis pretty blunt in attack. The pressure is quite considerably on for Hamid Derakhshan, who needs victories quickly if he’s going to keep his job for the rest of the season.

Team: Bunyodkor
Country: Uzbekistan
Manager: Sergey Lushan (RUS)
Key Man: Sardor Rashidov (UZB)

It has been a record breaking year for Uzbek football, after they clinched four places in the ACL group stage for the first time. Shining light Bunyodkor, who can be praised for progressing the Uzbek coefficient for years, made it four teams from four after they impressed through the playoffs against the much fancied Emirati club Al-Jazira. While their recent form domestically suggested they could possibly struggle, they overcame Mabkhout and co. in sensational fashion, Asian Cup starlet Sardor Rashidov transferring his international form into the club game. After a 4th placed finish last term, mainly due to the mid-season exit of now national coach Mirjalol Qosmiov, Bunyodkor will hope for better in 2015, maybe even a lengthy ACL run.

Season Preview (Qatar 14/15)

League Name: Qatar Stars League (QSL)

Start Date: 21st August

Honours (13/14): Lekhwiya (League champions) Al-Sadd (Emir Cup winners)

Teams qualified for Asian football (ACL 2015): Lekhwiya, El-Jaish, Al-Sadd, Al-Sailiya

 

 

Ever since the decision to grant Qatar the World Cup in 2022, the world’s footballing eye has been firmly fixed on the small Middle Eastern country which has been seen to make great strides in their footballing advancements in the last decade.

The Qatar Stars League (QSL) has been the quintessential European stereotype of a Middle East league when it comes to big spending and low attendances that have many back in Europe up in arms at their star players being attracted by the money of the Sheikhs. However, the league's quality on a whole has quickly risen with notable performances in the Asian Champions League (ACL) proof of that.

The world class names of Fabio Cannavaro and Raul came and went, but the spending continues to this day with a greater depth of previously-European based players being bought in to improve the league further. Despite a limit on overseas registered players in the squad to seven, QSL sides have adopted a trend of nationalising some of their overseas recruits, not only to improve the national team squad ahead of 2022 but to increase their number of overseas registered players at home and on the continent.

Examples can be seen throughout the league; Uruguyan born Sebastian Soria is the Qatari national side's leading marksman after being nationalised in 2006, while Qatar’s largest and most successful club Al-Sadd were led by exiting captain Abdulla Koni, a Senegalese born defender who has carved out a decent career in his adopted country. These are typical stories of mainly African and South American players who have opted for a lucrative career in the Middle East ahead of an uncertain European club path that is usually seen as the norm.

It’s a practice that isn’t showing any signs of waning, with young Nigerian striker Imoh Ezekiel, who has yet to make a competitive start for his country of birth despite only being narrowly cut from the World Cup squad this summer, being brought in by Al-Arabi from Standard Liege with a potential nationalising process rumoured to be part of the bargain. For 20 year old Ezekiel, a home World Cup in 8 years-time is a tempting prospect despite his obvious allegiances towards Nigeria, arguably further motivated by the large pay package which is part of the deal.

This summer, just like those over the past decade has seen further recruits added to the league, with many being scouted this transfer window at the World Cup in Brazil. Alongside the playing staff, the likes of ex-Swansea City coach Michael Laudrup and ex-Dinamo Moscow manager Dan Petrescu offers further quality to what looks to be an enticing season for the QSL.

Unlike other Middle Eastern leagues, the QSL remains highly competitive with the vast majority having similarly deep pockets to compete even if they are way off ACL qualification. Traditional heavyweight Al-Rayyan felt this to their cost last term as they were relegated to the Qatar's second tier (Qatargas League) despite spending big in previous seasons. While Al-Sailiya clinched 4th spot and Asian football last season after only being promoted the previous term.

That said, Al-Sadd, Qatar's only ever previous winner of the ACL and final participant in the knockout stages this year will go into this season as the favourites for domestic glory, after concurring last season's champions Lekhwiya in last week's curtain raising Sheikh Jassem Cup final. Al-Sadd have amongst their armoury some familiar faces; Brazilian striker Muriqui has been brought in from Guanzhou Evergrande to lineup with former Portsmouth left wingback Nadir Belhadj and veteran Senegalese goalscorer Mamadou Niang. Goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb and midfielder Khalfan Ibrahim bolster their home contingent.

Lekhwiya who are Al-Sadd’s closest competitiors for the QSL crown have just appointed Michael Laudrup as their coach for the new season, bringing across with him Chico Flores from Swansea City and introducing former Manchester City youngster Vladimir Weiss to the squad. Of their existing setup Tunisian Youssef Msakni complements well the goalscoring exploits of Sebastian Soria, while Khalid Muftah has impressed in recent times for the national side in defence.

El-Jaish and Al-Sailiya will join the two QSL giants in next year’s ACL, with both making significant improvements to their defence by bringing in established European stars this summer. El-Jaish have brought in Lucas Mendes from Marseille to join a broadly Qatari born squad that has relied on the contributions of Wesam Rizik and Magid Mohamed to thrust the side onto victory. Al-Sailiya who have capped a miraculous rise over the last two seasons, have brought in Portuguese centre back Ricardo Costa to firm up their backline as they debut in the ACL.

Key transfer highlights from the rest of the division include the arrival of Jeromie Aliadiere for Umm Salal to join up with former Premier League striker Tuncay Sanli and Iranian World Cup defender Pejman Montazeri, while Al-Arabi have purchased two former Premier League playmakers Pablo Hernandez and Ashkan Dejagah ahead of the new season, in hope that new manager Dan Petrescu can break into the top four next season.

The other contenders for Asian continental football qualification are Al-Ahli and Al-Ghaafa. Al-Ahli posses last season’s golden boot winner; Congo international Dioko Kaluyituka who is backed up by Iranian internationals Mojtaba Jabbari and new signing Jalal Hosseini. Al-Ghaafa who are built on the foundation of national team keeper Burhan will be hoping for a better finish than their mid-table showing last term with the attacking play of Australian Mark Bresciano and Argentine forward Lisandro Lopez amongst those in a talented squad.

While the national team remains in flux ahead of a new World Cup cycle and 2015's Asian Cup, a number of their youth sides are starting to reep the rewards of careful planning that they hope to peak ahead of 2022. The national league continues to grow, and with continued success on the continent becoming more than a flash in a pan year on year, further improvement for the Qatar national side is likely.

Ones to Watch:

Ashkan Dejagah (Al-Arabi) - Former Wolfsburg and Fulham playmaker who has been widely criticized for his move back to Asia. Iranian international who impressed considerably with his high work-rate during the World Cup.

Khalfan Ibrahim (Al-Sadd) - One of Qatar's strongest attacking threats who lives up to the high standard of QSL imports. Was the top scoring Qatari in the league last term. 

Vladimir Weiss (Lekhwiya) - Former Manchester City youth who has had differing spells in Scotland, Turkey and Italy. When on form a diminutive, quick winger with a decent shot from distance.