The 2015/2016 QSL season has been intesting in many ways, but one key trend has been the movement towards stability in terms of team management. To date, only four sides Al Sadd, Al Gharafa, Al Ahli and Qatar SC have parted way with coaches this term. The remaining ten sides have stuck with their head coaches, preferring stability over sacking managers.As the QSL comes into its final stages QSL online has decided to look at five coaches who have stayed the course and impressed with their side in the 2015/2016 of the season.
The summer appointments of Jorge Fossati and Gianfranco Zola as coaches caught the eye, and underlined the intentions of Al Rayyan and Al Arabi at the start of the 2015-16 Qatar Stars League (QSL) season. The message from Rayyan & Arabi management to Fossati and Zola was clear: 'Get us wins'.
Fast forward to March 2016 and Fossati has guided Al Rayyan to their eighth QSL title with five rounds to spare while Zola - the former Chelsea player - has managed to get his Al Arabi team play productive football, and still have a chance to qualify for the Qatar Cup.
Solidity at Sailiya
Similarly, Sami Trabelsi has inculcated a sense of purpose in the Al Sailiya ranks, helping the side rise above the rancour of last season and produce quality football on the field of play this year.
Last season The Peregrines finished 11th in the league, this year Trabelsi has brought calmness in the club ranks. Al Sailiya are one of only six sides to register 10 wins or more this season.
The positive surge in performances hasn’t gone unnoticed with Al Sailiya signing Trabelsi to a new three year contract in February. Last month Adbullah al-Hanzab, head of football at Al Sailiyah, said.
"We value the role Sami Trabelsi has played in improving our club and we appreciate what Trabelsi has offered to the club in the last few years."
Umm Salal sticking with Uygun
For Umm Salal they have stuck with head coach Bulent Uygun, who joined the club in December 2013. The Orange Fortress now reaping the benefits of consistency under the Turkish Tactician. Umm Salal are currently placed 6th in the points race with just four rounds to go is a testimony to the confidence instilled in the side by Uygun, the former Turkish international of considerable merit.
Wins in the next four rounds could help Umm Salal seal a top-four spot, something the club fans and management would are desperately looking at.
Stability at Al Wakrah
Al Wakrah coach José Mauricio has also performed admirably in his first season in change in the QSL helping the one-time struggling Al Wakrah to nail 8 wins in the last six months. With 4 rounds to go, Al Wakrah can confidently believe they will be in the QSL for another season.
Last year The Blue Waves changed their head coach an amazing four times. Wakrah management searched far and wide for a man that could lead the side into the 2015/2016 season and settled on the Uruguayan tactitan. Despite having no experience in the region, the move has worked well for both manager and club, leading to a season of stability at Al Wakrah.
Rayyan back to winning ways
With Trabelsi, Uygun and Mauricio grabbing headlines for their sides, no coach has won more accolades than Fossati, the former Qatar national team manager.
After winning a promotion to QSL at the end of the 2014-15 season, Al Rayyan management quickly set about rebuilding their team by roping in Fossati, the Uruguayan with an impressive resume as a football coach. Such was Fossati's impact on Al Rayyan that they lost only one game until their goalless draw last week. At the start of March, ruthless Al Rayyan sailed to their eighth title win with five rounds to go.
Arabi looking to build under Zola.
As for Gianfrano Zola, his Al Arabi side finished last season in 8th place. The former Chelsea player got down to work the moment as he was announced as the coach of the Doha giants last July.
With four rounds to go in the 2015/2016 season, Al Arabi are now handsomely placed 5th with a tally of 34 points, thanks largely to their 10 wins in the season. The Dream Team still have a chance to qualify for the Qatar Cup and are currently just five points away from 4th placed Al Sadd.
With five top coaches sticking with their sides over the course of the campaign, expect these teams to reap the benefit of stability going into the final games of the QSL season.
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