UAE coach Zaccheroni set to continue experiments

Reinforced UAE will take on Uzbekistan in the second friendly match to be played at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on Tuesday.

The first assignment for new coach Alberto Zaccheroni against Haiti on Friday turned out to be an unlucky one with host of chances being denied by woodwork, an alert stopper and lack of effective striker. The encounter also brought forth the problems in defence.

Zaccheroni, however, has urged for patience as he tries to know his players better and get the most out of them after just few training sessions.

"Give us time and don't judge us now," he said.

The Italian, though, was pleased with the overall performance from his players against a higher-ranked Haiti. After the match, Zaccheroni had noted that apart from the first 25 minutes, his team had implemented his plan and were a better unit.

His philosophy is to play as a collective unit and he has got strategy in place for the Uzbeks. "There will be a new plan and tactics," he said.

The coach will continue his experiments to find a right combination. And come Tuesday, Zaccheroni has added more bite to attack. In comes, Al Jazira star Ali Mabkhout and Al Nasr's Salem Saleh.

Zaccheroni will be looking for early goals to unsettle the visitors and hoping the defence prevents any goal-scoring opportunities.

Source: Khaleej Times