The performance of the Gulf Cup is poor, and the Saudi team is still sluggish after the change of coach

The reporter reported coldly In December, the three top 18 opponents of the national football team, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Indonesia, all participated in regional competitions to train for the round of 18 in March next year. The Indonesian team sent the U22 national youth team to play in the Southeast Asia Cup, losing 0-1 to Vietnam and the Philippines, where most of the main players played, and missed the semifinals; The Saudi team and the Bahrain team participated in the Gulf Cup, and in the direct dialogue between the two sides, Bahrain won 3-2, while the Saudi team did not significantly improve after inviting back the old acquaintance Hainach.

The new coach of the Saudi team, Hainach, sent a team that combines the main team and the newcomers, hoping to inspect the players and run in the lineup through the Gulf Cup. However, three European players, Abdullahmid, Ghamdi and Sahafi, could not play; Defender Amri, midfielders Al-Haibari and Al-Faraj withdrew due to injury; Top scorer Salem Dossa has a fracture in his inner part and, like center forward Brikan, has to be on the bench for emergencies.

Heinach retained most of the internationals from the Mancini era, with defender Kadesh scoring twice and midfielders Yahya and Al-Muwaleed and striker Malan all missing out. In addition to the main players of the Saudi Arabian team in the round of 18 in November, Hainach also brought back young goalkeeper Akidi who was sacked by Mancini in the Asian Cup at the beginning of the year, in addition to five new players under the age of 23, including defender Moussa (Jeddah United), midfielder Al-Faratah (Damac), Ausyali (Naiom), Hausawi (Jeddah United) and striker Osman (Al-Qadisiyah).

However, due to injuries and absences of key players, the performance of the Saudi team has been greatly reduced. Compared with the November round of 18 under the command of Hainach, in the first game of the Gulf Cup against Bahrain, the Saudi team only had four main starts: left-back Shahrani, midfielder Al-Juwal, and Kano right winger Hamdan. Heinach started 21-year-old centre-forward Latif and 23-year-old Haussaway supported the centre-forward on the right. Young Riyadh Victory goalkeeper Akidi is back in the regular force after more than a year after a warm-up match against Costa Rica last September.

Facing the Bahrain team, which is almost the main team of the round of 18, the Saudi team was already 0-2 down in less than 40 minutes in the first half, and Hainach could only replace center Latif and winger Hamdan at half time, leaving the main scorer Salem Dawsari to play with an injury. Although midfielder Al-Juwal and substitute Al-Shehri scored in the second half, the Saudi team still lost the game 2-3.

In the second match against Yemen, ranked 158th in the world, in the group stage, Hainach changed five main players. Experienced goalkeeper Ovas, centre-back Tambakti, midfielder Nasser Dawsari and left winger Salem Dawsari started the game, with newcomer Bushal replacing veteran Shahrani at left-back. Even so, the Saudis were 2-0 down after just 27 minutes. Yemen's strength was limited after all, and Saudi midfielders Kano and Al-Juval then equalised the score. In the third minute of stoppage time, substitute Hamdan completed a comeback to save the hope of qualifying from the group.

Heinach admitted after the game that the Gulf Cup was very difficult, but it was not normal for the team to be two goals down in a row. Against Yemen, Haussaoui replaced Nasser Dawsari in the 65th minute of the second half and was replaced by Kahetani in the 91st minute. Heinach's explanation was that he was unhappy with Haussao's performance, believing that he was not concentrating enough.

Saudi Arabia's performance has been heavily criticized by the Saudi media and football circles, with former Bahrain coach Al-Sawadi believing that Hainach had made a mistake in selecting his players, and that many of his players looked unmotivated. In defence, he relied too much on veterans and the team was not cohesive.

Former president of the Batin club, Huwaidi, believes that many international players of the Saudi team have performed well at the club, but when they arrive at the national team, they are confused, "Many players do not deserve to be on the list, blame each other after conceding goals, and the team spirit is seriously lacking. He even mocked Hamdan for celebrating after scoring the winning goal, "The ball is passed in front of the goal, you can reach out with your foot and go in, and besides, just beating Yemen, ranked 158th in the world, what is there to celebrate?" My grandmother could kick a ball like that. ”

Former Damac club president Markla believes Salem Dawsari should be stripped of his captaincy because he simply failed to do his duty.

Former Saudi international Abu Tanin also believes that the Saudi team has first-class coaches, experts and players, and also has a long-term training camp in Spain, the world football powerhouse, but the team's performance and results are very "raw".

The outside world has criticized the Saudi Football Association for being too hasty in selecting a coach, and although Hainach has previously led the Saudi team to the 2022 World Cup, he also defeated Argentina. However, in the 2021 and 2023 Gulf Cup, the Saudi team stopped in the group stage, and he also led the team to suffer four consecutive defeats in March last year, and his ability was questioned at that time. This time he returned to the Saudi team, leading the team to another 3 consecutive defeats, only winning against Yemen.

The Saudi team's form has not improved due to the change of manager, and Hainach's poor start has been questioned. It is undoubtedly good news for the national football team that will play Saudi Arabia away in March next year.