JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — As he sets his sights on another big-spending upset in Saturday’s AFC Champions League Elite final against Saudi Arabian powers Al Ahli, Kawasaki Frontale coach Shigetoshi Hasebe has reminded the world of one important fact: players win games of football with their feet, not their wallets.
Despite coming in with a day’s less rest and having needed extra-time to defeat Qatari champions Al Saad in the quarterfinals — leading Hasebe to rotate several players — Kawasaki upstaged Cristiano Ronaldo‘s Al Nassr in Wednesday evening’s semfinal, securing a 3-2 win to extend the superstar’s wait for a trophy in Saudi Arabia.
Their reward was a date with Saudi Pro League giants Al Ahli in Saturday’s decider at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. 90 minutes standing between Azzurro Nero and a first-ever continental crown, as well as the not-insignificant challenge of overcoming one of Asia’s biggest spending clubs.
Fielding the likes of Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez, Édouard Mendy, Franck Kessié and Ivan Toney, Transfermarkt pegs the value of Matthias Jaissle’s squad at €169.93 million, whereas Kawasaki — who started just a single non-Japanese player, Brazilian winger Marcinho, in their win over Al Nassr — is valued at €15.28m.
But after engineering a deserved win over an even more-expensively assembled side in the semifinals, Hasebe — who only arrived at Kawasaki in January after leaving Avispa Fukuoka — had a simple riposte when the gulf of resources was put to him.
“Regarding budgets, it’s a very important factor but the players aren’t playing with their wallet or their credit card on the pitch,” he remarked. “The players play on the pitch.
“Maybe the budget will affect things somehow, but in football, we play on the pitch.”
Resourcing, however, isn’t the only challenge that Kawasaki faces.
As was the case with their semifinal, they will be afforded one fewer day to prepare than their opponents, with Al Ahli having punched their ticket with a 3-1 win over fellow Saudi Arabian outfit Al Hilal on Tuesday.
Further, with the Asian Football Confederation adopting a new centralised format for the ACLE finals, their Jeddah-based foes will be playing in their home stadium in the final — the same venue that hosted their comfortable 3-0 win over Thai champions Buriram United in the quarterfinals and their victory over Al Hilal.
Hasebe confirmed that none of his players would be unavailable for the contest on Friday and, after giving plaudits to the Kawasaki fans who had trekked from Japan, also sent a brief stir through the local press pack by noting with a sly grin that Riyadh-based Al Nassr and Al Hilal fans may prefer a Kawasaki win to an Al Ahli one.
Nonetheless, even if the visitors can attract a few defectors, King Abdullah Sports City is expected to be a wall of green-clad noise on Saturday. Al Ahli supporters largely drowned out their Al Hilal rivals on Tuesday, and as Mahrez noted on Friday, the stadium is unlikely to have a 50-50 divide this time.
“The fans are incredible,” said the former Manchester City star. “They’ve always been but the last game was incredible, in our stadium. Tomorrow I don’t think it will be half-half, so we need them as much as possible.”
Though acknowledging that his side would use the advantages they had, Al Ahli boss Matthias Jaissle was hesitant to “make the different circumstances bigger than they are,” emphasising that “there are two teams on the pitch [playing] with the same rules.”
Nonetheless, there exists a heavy weight of expectation on the German’s side heading into the final, both from their supporters and those that have observed the significant investment that has been poured into the PIF-owned club.
“It’s important to stick with the routine,” he said. “Don’t be distracted by the media, focus on the things you can influence now. I told the players you have many, many friends if you are in a final, so just focus on the things you can influence.
“There’s nothing different. It’s a final, but if [there was a different, better approach] then what I would have been before would have been wrong.”
Joey Lynch is in Jeddah reporting on the AFC Champions League Elite Finals as a guest of the Asian Football Confederation.
