Qatar Men’s Volleyball League – Season 2015/2016 – Teams prospects:
Teams are listed according to their final standings last season.
AL RAYYAN
The three-time defending champions are leaving no stone unturned in their attempts to win a fourth straight crown. The squad, a blend of youth and experience, has been boosted by the addition of former Al Arabi star Philip Maiyo. The fact that most Qatar internationals are from Rayyan is an indicator of their strength.
AL ARABI
The most successful club in the Qatar League history with 24 titles is looking to regain lost ground. They won four titles last year — Association Cup, Super Cup, Qatar Cup and Emir’s Cup — but missed the most-important one, the league. Regaining the league after a three-year gap is on top of their agenda.
EL JAISH
The Armymen have always remained in the top three, but somehow lack the killer instinct to win the title. The three-time Association Cup champions need to raise the bar, especially in crunch matches, to be counted as serious title contenders. Over dependence on Christian Pampel has often let them down.
POLICE
Outstanding one day, pretty ordinary the next day. That sums up the cops’ plight. They have it in them to quell the challenge of big teams, but finishing out close matches is an area where the team needs to work on seriously. The return of Yousef Faredoon as the coach has surely invigorated the ranks.
AL AHLI
They enjoyed their best run in the 2013 season when a unified format was introduced for the first time. That year, they were in the title reckoning till the penultimate round and also reached the final of the Emir’s Cup. Ahli made a good start to the season by reaching the Association Cup semifinal.
AL SHAMAL
From the whipping boys of the Qatar League to the most-improved side, Shamal have come a long way in the last two seasons. They bagged the Qatar Volleyball Association’s best team of the season award last year and it was a good recognition of their efforts.
AL KHOR
Khor are a team that improve every year, but still not enough to warrant a top-five finish. Tenth in 2013, they jumped two places up in ’14 and one more last year. Failure to make it to the semifinal of the Association Cup should hurt them badly.
AL WAKRAH
An eighth-place finish last season was a big improvement for the team which ended up 11th in the previous two seasons. Ahmed Raouf-coached side played well at the Association Cup, where they beat Police. But inconsistency has been the bane of Wakrah, who are quite often known to lose from winning positions.
AL SADD
Sadd, another under-achieving team, need to thank the unified format for their adventures. When the league was played in a two-tier format earlier, they struggled to stay afloat in the top flight and their struggle continues. Barring the Association Cup final appearance in 2013, there is nothing much to boast for them.
AL GHARAFA
Yet another minnows struggling to grapple with the demands of top tier. Playing 20 matches in a stretch has always proved to be a challenge for the squad coached by Mohammed Saleh and they have often struggled in getting top professionals. They would be looking to improve on the previous year’s last-but-one finish.
QATAR SC
The only team other than Al Rayyan and Al Arabi to have won the Qatar League, Qatar SC have fallen from the pedestal. A side, which used to end up in the top six reached its nadir last year when they finished with a wooden spoon. But they showed signs of improvement at the Association Cup.
* Doha Stadium Plus