Doha: Al Wakrah did not enjoy an excellent Qatar Stars League season, but managed to finish the 2014/2015 season just above the relegation places.
After securing their slot at the QSL for next season, they quickly moved to confirm new head coach Mauricio Larriera in preseason. The Uruguayan tactician had never managed in the Gulf region before and represented a significant risk taken by the Wakrah management.
One of their noteworthy summer signings is former Portuguese international midfielder Rúben Amorim .
The attacking midfielder who signed on a one year loan deal from Benfica, was changed to give Wakrah some steel in the centre of the park.
The season didn’t start well for Wakrah, and it took them till round four to register their first points of the season. It was against Al Khor (1-0).
A long season was ahead for Larriera and his squad. Inconsistent is certainly a way to describe Wakrah in the initial months of Larriera’s tenure with the Blue Waves.
The next five games saw them pick up only two wins, but that included a moral boosting 4-1 victory over Meisameer who were at the bottom of the table. The 4-1 score included a brace from striker Sasha, the man from Argentina who was a key player for Wakrah over the course of the season. His 16 goals in 25 QSL games represented a good return and his goals coring form was rewarded when he picked up the QSL player of the month for February, after a run of five goals in six QSL games.
Al Wakrah’s fortunes began to change around the start of December, where they put together of a three game unbeaten run including narrow 1-0 wins over Al Kharaitiyat and Al Arabi. A 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ahli put way to their winning streak, but Wakrah put in their performance of the season in a 3-1 victory over top four chasing Al Sadd.
Mauricio Larriera showed plenty of tactical nous in the win which saw Wakrah masterfully taking Al Sadd on the break with two goals in the second half.
Going into the final third of the season and Wakrah certainly struggled to pick up points and looked increasingly to be getting involved in the relegation dog-fight. Three humbling defeats in a row to Al Gharafa (3-2), El Jaish (1-0) and a 5-0 thrashing by Al Rayyan made life miserable for Al Wakrah team and they where bound for the drop.
However, Larriera rallied his side for the final five games of the season registering seven points from a possible fifteen to limp over the line for QSL safety.
The crucial result in the run came in the 2-0 win over Lekhiwya, again a tie win which Wakrah took their opponents on the break, with striker Maher Yusef starring.
Worryingly for Larriera, his side dropped off significantly once safety was confirmed, finishing in eleventh place in the QSL standings.
Larriera will now be charged to improve the position of Wakrah going into the 2016/2017 season in his second full term with the Blue Waves.
The Peninsula
