Prior to Pitso Mosimane's appointment as Al Wahda's head coach following the South African's short stint in Saudi Arabia, Arno Buitenweg held the interim manager role for 11 matches and guided the United Arab Emirates-based side to an impressive third-place finish in the UAE Pro League this past season as the team went unbeaten during his short spell on the sidelines. In this interview, the Dutch coach speaks to Soccer Laduma's Kyle Lewis about his previous responsibility as the club's technical director, Al Wahda's ambition to win trophies every year and the potential of working closely with Mosimane should he and the club find an agreement to continue together.
Kyle Lewis: When you joined Al Wahda as a technical director, was there anything that caught you by surprise about the UAE Pro League?
Arno Buitenweg: The league in United Arab Emirates is not the same as Europe, but I must say the league is not bad at all. It is a good-quality league with some top players.
KL: What does a technical director actually do?
AB: First of all, you get to be the technical director of the academy – this was my role prior to being manager – and then you have a sporting director in the club, which is a bit different. My department is (responsible for) following and implementing the methodology in the club in terms of how we want to play football. I have to make sure the right players go through the system and take ownership of the direction of the development of the players, coaches and coaching programmes. Other things as well as the coaching standards, development, pathways. I support the club in all kinds of the ways, in the operations, managers all develop and implement a playing model from top to bottom.
KL: Since you were in charge of the academy team, what did you think of the youth prospects coming through the ranks? Can some of them break into the first team?
AB: In development, everything is a process, and you need to have patience in the process and, in this time, there are always ups and downs. It is the same in football – you bring through talented players and try to make a pathway for them in development from U18s to U19s to the second team where you prepare them for the first team.
KL: During the 2022/23 season, you were made the interim manager. What was that experience like?
AB: This was not new for me, I have done this before in Qatar with Al Arabi and I was also the assistant of the first team coach. In Spain, I did the same with Real Mallorca. I am a man of the club and the club needed a coach for the first team and I did the best I could.
KL: You guys narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Asian Champions League. That must have been a big blow.
AB: Depending how you look at it, we were in the race for the title with two games to go. It was not all in our hands. When I stepped in, the team was in fourth spot in the league and I was in charge for 11 games. We did not lose in all those games – we won seven and drew four. Still to the last game, we were fighting for the second place, but as I said before, it was not in our hands. Al Ain had to lose points and they did not lose points. We qualified for the King Arab Cup, so this was also good for the final group stage, which will be held in July.
KL: When you were the interim manager, were you regularly in contact with the owners?
AB: There was always daily contact with the board and staff around the team. The communication is there.
KL: Were there any challenges you faced in your time as manager?
AB: You come in the last three months, the team already had Manolo Jimenez, Carlos Carvalhal in that season and then I came in. We played every three or four days, I had to manage game to game, managing the dressing room, players and putting the players in the right position. So, this is not something I could have done from the beginning. If I got the job from the start of the season, I would have done things differently.
KL: Having sacked two managers in one season, would you say that managing Al Wahda is one of the toughest jobs in the world?
AB: I think you have this in any club. You have expectations and before you join the club, you know what you are stepping into, so it also depends a bit on you. How can you handle pressure? There are a lot of factors to take into consideration. For me, Al Wahda is a good club, they always want to fight for titles, so it is very competitive.
KL: What is the ambition of Al Wahda?
AB: This is a club that every year want to challenge for the title or win the league. Every, year we try to win the league. This is always the expectation.
KL: Al Wahda brought in a number of top stars such as Adrien Silva, Allan and many more. Is that the club's approach to transfers?
AB: Basically, you are allowed to sign foreign players. We had Adrien, who has decided to depart, but Allan is still there, and he is from Brazil. We also have Joao Pedro, the striker from Brazil. We also have Facundo (Kruspzky), Lucas Pimenta and more. So, we always look for the best foreign players for our game model.
KL: Pitso Mosimane has recently become Al Wahda's head coach. Were you hoping to keep the role of manager prior to his arrival?
AB: I am a man of the club. I took over for the last 11 games, we were unbeaten, and we fought for the title till the last game of the season. I know my position inside of the club. I think it is very good that they signed a new coach with a very good curriculum. I will try my best to help him to achieve the objectives for him, the club and the fans.
KL: Prior to hiring Mosimane, were there any other managers that Al Wahda was looking at?
AB: I think it's like (at) every club, they look for a coach, they look at CVs, first choice, second choice and etcetera, and then they look for the right coach for the club's project.
KL: Will you be working with the South African following his appointment?
AB: I am still in negotiations if I'm staying at the club. Of course, if you are in the second team, you are always working for the first team. So, it is important if I will be there in the club, I will do my best to please the head coach of the first team. The objective is for all of us to be champions and then we have Pitso in his journey.
KL: In your time as Al Wahda technical director, what was the profile of players that the club were looking at signing?
AB: You have some local players and some foreign players. You look at talent profiles and many other things. Also, attitude, decision-making, are they fast or slow? You look at physical profiles, what kind of positions can they play? You look at different age profiles such as eight-year-olds before their growth spurt and 16-yearolds. It also depends on the needs of the club and where you are in your development.
KL: Are you interested in ever taking your managerial career to Africa?
AB: I must be honest with you, I had contact in the past when they approached me for the Tanzania national team. That was a couple of years ago and in the end, it did not happen. But I think Africa is a very nice continent and with regards to football development, there is still much work to be done, but I will not close the door to working in Africa.
KL: Thank you, Arno!
AB: Thanks, Kyle.
