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Al Jazira boss Luis Milla admits he must quickly find a solution to his side’s defensive problems.
In the Spaniard’s five games in charge of the Abu Dhabi club they have conceded 12 goals, and on Sunday night were held to an extraordinary 4-4 draw by a makeshift Al Dhafra side.
That result was the third time under Milla that Jazira had conceded three goals or more following a 3-1 defeat to Tractor Sazi in the AFC Champions League and a 3-3 Pro League tie with second-bottom Dibba Al Fujairah.
A porous defence is nothing new at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium though. In 40 Pro League games since their one and only league title success in 2010/11 Jazira have conceded 59 goals.
Milla, still without a win since taking over, said: “We want our team to be one that enjoys when they have the ball arrive in the area and creates opportunities.
“But we have a problem and we see it in the balance (of the team). We see that when we lose possession on the pitch we give opportunities.
“In attack we have good players and score goals but in defence we have problems. It’s a question of having a balance and to keep on working.
“I think the players are doing good work. We have been here almost one month and what we want is for our concept to be learnt as soon as possible.”
Jazira were assured of their passage to the last four of the Etisalat Cup prior to Sunday and Milla’s next assignment will be their semi-final against Al Wahda at the Al Nahyan Stadium next Monday.
Dhafra were the last team to play Jazira under previous coach Paulo Bonamigo – losing 4-1 in Abu Dhabi – but coach Laurent Banide said it was difficult to say whether they’ve improved under their new Spanish coach as the games were not in the same competition.
“It’s different because it was the cup, (which) is not the same spirit as the championship,” Banide said.
The former Monaco and Al Nasr boss, who is in his second spell with Dhafra, was happy with the spirit his team showed on Sunday as they prepare for a vital game with Kalba on March 29.
A win over the league’s bottom club would go a long way to securing their Pro League status.
“We have two weeks to prepare for the game against Kalba,” he added. “It was important for the players to show something.”
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