Fabio Lopez

Many have asked, what is the secret behind Lopez’s immediate and impressive success? Firstly, his relationship with senior team head coach Christian Gross is very important to ensure that the teams are organised coherently according to each age level. “Christian and I have a very nice relationship. We exchange our football ideas very well; he is a man with great experience and is a fine gentleman”, claims Lopez. The belief from the head coach was one of the key components to this Al-Ahli side’s “miraculous work”, as it has been called by some fans.

However, it is the philosophy of this coach that has arguably been the leading factor behind this surprising, blistering run of form. The coach is a firm believer in the fact that “coaches have to adapt to the players in the team, and they must do it quickly”. Lopez quickly came to realise that the team’s stand-out quality was the speed in the front line. This enabled the coach to base their general game philosophy on the skill they possess up front. Moreover, the coach realised that the players were unable to build play slowly from the back and do it with efficiency. Therefore, a more vertical style of play was implemented – looking to find players in between the lines with grounded, vertical passes – as soon as possible, and all coach Lopez could say is: voila.

With the Al-Ahli U23 looking to clinch the title by the end of the season, it’s just a matter of time before Lopez moves onto bigger things, and many fans have dubbed him the successor of Christian Gross once the latter leaves. Whatever it is, Lopez has taken an odd path to the top, but his start has surely been successful and it has managed to wipe off the nightmare he experienced while managing in Oman.

Asian Competition Quota

League Position	Continental Competition Qualification	Competition Stage	Competition Edition
Winners	Asian Champions League (ACL)	Group Stage	2018
Runner-Up	ACL	Group Stage	2018
3rd Place	ACL	Play-Off	2018
King Cup Winners	ACL	Group Stage	2018

Relegation Process

League Position	Passage of Relegation	Division Relegated To
12th	Relegation Play-Off	First Division in the situation of a loss
13th	Automatic Relegation	First Division
14th	Automatic Relegation	First Division

Al Ahli

Manager: Jose Gomes (Portugal)

2015/16 position: 1^st

2016/17 predicted position: 1^st

Key signing: Luiz Carlos – Waleed Bakhshween’s injuries and on-and-off performances will now be replaced/supported by the exploits of Brazilian Luiz Carlos. He is relatively multi-skilled, capable of aiding defenders in the build-up phases of play and also performing on the attacking front. With Taisir Al-Jassim entering his twilight years, another player will need to take the mantle in providing the high energy levels in central midfield.

Key Player: Omar Al-Somah – Who else were you expecting? It was Omar Al-Somah who scored 2 goals when Al-Ahli looked down and out against Al-Hilal to win the league title for the first time in 32 years. It was Omar Al-Somah who bagged a brace in the final of the King Cup to help Al-Ahli secure the coveted double. Al-Ahli then went on to win the ‘treble’, thanks to – you guessed it – Omar Al-Soma, when he scored the equaliser and winning penalty at Craven Cottage during the Saudi Super Cup.

Why should I follow them? Al-Ahli have signed in the right places, strengthening their ranks with a defensive midfielder (Luiz Carlos), another attacking midfielder (Ali Awaji) and arguably the best manager in the league. Moreover, the replacement for Osama Hawsawi is ready-made in the fantastic prospect Mohammad Al-Fteil. All in All the best team in the league with a large fan base and the most tactically adept manager; Al-Ahli are big favourites for another title.

Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah (Capacity: 62,241)

Write up by: Mohammed Fayad – @Hamoudi_LFC8

Al Hilal

Manager: Gustavo Matosas (Uruguay)

2015/16 position: 2^nd

2016/17 predicted position: 2^nd

Key signing: Osama Hawsawi – Despite Mohammad Jahfali’s winner against Al-Nassr, he has never provided the consistent, top quality peformances expected of him after that historic ending to the 2014/15 season. 32 years old Osama Hawsawi re-joins Al Hilal from Champions Al-Ahli to fill the void that was left by the departure of Kwak Tae-Hwi and Digao, but questions will be raised as Al-Hilal still lack the depth to perform well defensively on a consistent basis.

Key Player: Yasser Al-Shahrani – The only player in the team with a claim to being the best player in Saudi Arabia, Al-Shahrani’s marauding runs and technical ability on either flank has proven vital for Al-Hilal over the past few seasons, even earning a spot on the ME cover of FIFA 16. His ability to deputise at left, right or centre back alongside a presence in midfield is invaluable for the Blue Wave.

Why should I follow them? After the tragic losses suffered against Al-Ahli in the penultimate game of last season (seeing them lose out on the league title) and in the King Cup semi-final, Al-Hilal looked for change yet again and are desperate to win either the league title or the 2017 Champions League. Gustavo Matosas comes in from Mexico to implement his fluid tactical ideas and attempt a shot at glory with an impatient fan base and board of directors. We believe, they’re just not there just yet.

Stadium: King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh (Capacity: 68,752)

Write up by: Mohammed Fayad – @Hamoudi_LFC8

Al Ittihad

Manager: Jose Luis Sierra “El Couto” (Chile)

2015/16 position: 3^rd

2016/17 predicted position: 4^th

Key signing: Fahad Al-Ansari – The Kuwaiti midfielder has come in on loan from Kuwaiti giants Qadsia, in a long-awaited move, to bring a sense of dynamism to the Tigers’ midfield. His long legs, knack for creating and scoring goals and aesthetically pleasing style may just become a hit at the King Abdullah Sports City.

Key Player: Yassin Hamza – His wonderful performance against Al-Hilal in the first half of the season should have set the tone for a powerful period under Victor Piturca’s attempted revival of the club, but Hamza went on a downward spiral after initial promise. After a season of adapting to his surroundings, Hamza’s shift in defence will be key to any hopes for Ittihad to finish in the top two.

Why should I follow them? Sierra’s belief in possession and controlling the tempo of the game may succeed with the likes of Fahad Al-Ansari and Carlos Villanueva in the team but questions will be asked about the defensive structure and handling transitions, which may understandably be Ittihad’s weak point in the coming season. The Tigers’ strength is in their fanbase and they will undoubtedly come in numbers, over a million fans total are expected watch Ittihad’s 26 league games this season.

Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah (Capacity: 62,241)

Write up by: Mohammed Fayad – @Hamoudi_LFC8

Al Taawoun

Manager: Darije Kalezić (Switzerland)

2015/16 position: 4th

2016/17 predicted position: 6^th

Key signing: Mounir El Hamdaoui – the 2009 Dutch player of the year is now 32 years old. Following a successful career that saw him score regularly for AZ Alkmaar, Ajax and Fiorentina, he is spending the twilight of his career in the Middle East and has scored 7 goals in 9 appearances for Umm Salal in the Qatari League last term.

Key Player: Syrian midfielder Jehad Al Hussain has been setting the Saudi League alight with his playmaking skills. The 34 years old finished last season with 10 assists to his name, more than any other player in the division, highlighting his key role in their historic fourth place finish. The club has renewed his contract for another season back in February and he will continue to be the team’s beating heart this season.

Why should I follow them? Traditionally a bottom half (or often second flight) team, Al Taawoun have put in some stellar performances since their return to the top division in 2010/11, culminating with a historic fourth place finish last season that will see them compete in the 2017 AFC Champions League. Naturally, success comes at a price and the team have lost their Portugese manager, Jose Gomes, who joined champions Al Ahli. Al Taawoun also lost their talisman and captain Abdulmajeed Al Ruwaili who was snapped up by Al Hilal. Current boss Kalezic is facing a tremendous rebuilding job while also competing continentally, a new experience for most of the players. All these factors are bound to take a toll on Al Tawoun and could see the likes of Al Shabab and Al Nassr eclipse them this season. They will do well to maintain a top half finish under the circumstances.

Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Buraidah. (Capacity: 29,850)

Write up by: Wael Jabir – @WaelJabir

Al Fateh

Manager: Ricardo Sa Pinto (Portugal)

2015/16 position: 5^th

2016/17 predicted position: 7^th

Key signing: Nathan Junior – the versatile forward and attacking midfielder is going to have the insurmountable task of replacing Elton Jose, whose relationship with Fateh has ended miserably. The overall output of Elton was brilliant, his free-kick accuracy unmatched and his personality one of a kind. With Nathan Junior possibly needing a bit of time to kick start his career in Saudi Arabia, it won’t be easy.

Key Player: Abdullah Al-Owaishir – the goalkeeper has been called up to the Saudi national team over the last couple of years with no real shot at taking the number one spot, but a big season here for the 25-year old can see him book that spot for years to come.

Why should I follow them? Elton’s problems with the board are a big blow, Bader Al-Nakhli’s move to Al-Ittihad leaves the team lacking star power in defence and replacement Joao Guilherme is not going to find communication with a fully Arabic defensive line easy. Ricardo Sa Pinto will not have it easy but will be relying on his authoritarian methods to get the team to rally on over the course of the season.

Stadium: Prince Abdullah bin Jalawi Stadium, Al-Ahsa (Capacity: 20,000)

Write up by: Mohammed Fayad – @Hamoudi_LFC8

Al Shabab

Manager: Sami Al Jaber (Saudi)

2015/16 position: 6th

2016/17 predicted position: 5^th

Key signing: Hiberty Fernandes – the Brazilian/East-Timorese attacker was signed from Thai side Ratchaburi where he scored 19 goals in the 2015 Thai Premier League and bettered it the following season with 20 goals in as many games before joining Al Shabab. Blessed with quick feet and an accurate left foot, Hiberty is expected to play in one of the three attacking positions behind Benyettou in Sami Al Jaber’s favourite 4-2-3-1 formation. The 27 years old will be expected to both score and assist and his deliveries from set pieces will be vital to Al Shabab’s play.

Key Player: Mohamed Benyettou – the 26 years old striker joined from ES Setif in January 2016 after helping the Algerian side to CAF Champions League triumph in 2014. After a promising start to his Al Shabab career with 6 goals in 13 games, Sami Al Jaber’s men will be looking for the Algerian to hit the 15 goals mark if they are to successfully push for an AFC Champions League spot.

Why should I follow them? One of the traditional top five of Saudi football, Al Shabab have missed on Champions League football for 3 seasons in a row and have last won the league in 2011-12. Following a disappointing 6^th place finish last season, they parted ways with Tunisian manager Fathi Al Jabal and looked towards one of the nation’s football legends, Sami Al Jaber, to steady the ship. A serial winner as a player, Al Jaber is yet to win his first silverware as a manager following two “average” stints with his boyhood club, Al Hilal and UAE’s Al Wahda. Al Jaber is expected to re-build the team while pushing for a top four finish this season.

Stadium: Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh (Capacity: 22,000)

Write up by: Wael Jabir – @WaelJabir

Al Khaleej

Manager: Patrick De Wilde (Belgium)

2015/16 position: 7^th

2016/17 predicted position:  10^th

Key signing:  Younis Elewi – Once upon a time a goal machine in the lower tiers of the Saudi League, Younis finally earned his big money move to Al Hilal in 2015. One year, four appearances and zero goals later, he now carried the heavy tag of “Al Hilal flop”. Al Khaleej have put their trust in the 26 years old and will be hoping he helps them improve on their lowly 27 league goals return last season.

Key Player:  Abdullah Al Salem – The Saudi attacker has been one of the most consistent performers for Al Khaleej over the past few seasons, his involvement in both scoring and creating goals will be vital, but equally so the sense of continuity he brings to a squad that has been regularly changing.

Why should I follow them?  Al Khaleej sealed a respectable 7^th place finish last season, but loss of their star player Hattan Bahebri, who signed for Al Shabab, means they will have to work hard to replace his impact and maintain the overall squad level. It is unlikely that they will finish 7^th again, but should be able to survive comfortably.

Stadium: Al Khaleej Stadium, Saihat. (Capacity: 8,000)

Al Nassr

Manager: Zoran Mamic (Croatia)

2015/16 position: 8^th

2016/17 predicted position: 3^rd

Key signing: Marin Tomasov – Apparently one of the best players in the Croatian League, Tomasov will be expected to handle the burden of creating chances for Al-Nassr with a lack of playmaking abilities shared across the players in the team. Capable of playing anywhere in attacking midfield, his inside movement may prove too good for many Saudi defenders.

Key Player: Abdulaziz Al-Jebreen – the defensive midfielder is regarded by many as a potential best in his position in the Gulf, but performances last season failed to back up that claim. His chance is now, where Mamic has come in to bring back the two-time champions in the current decade back from the abyss.

Why should I follow them? Mamic isn’t any sort of tactical or motivational genius compared to his fellow coaches at the helm of the other big four and he only relies on the talent of his players as he did at Dinamo, but apparently he is set to bring in a Croatian staff that will compensate for his deficiencies in the tactical side. Will that be enough to rejuvenate a team that has been destroyed mentally?

Stadium: King Fahd International Stadium, Riyadh (Capacity: 68,752)

Write up by: Mohammed Fayad – @Hamoudi_LFC8

Al-Wehda

Manager: Kheïreddine Madoui (Algeria)

2015/16 position: 9th

2016/17 predicted position: 8^th

Key signing: Eudes Dagoulou. Brought in by his former coach at ES Setif, Madoui, Dagoulou is set to be the first player from Central African Republic to play in the Saudi League. In a team featuring many veteran players, Dagoulou’s energy in the middle of the pitch and his valuable contribution to both defence and attack will be a welcomed addition to the Meccan side.

Key Player: Abdullah Al Sudairi, the 24-year-old goalkeeper found himself at the heart of the storm after multiple mistakes that cost Al Hilal dearly in 2014-15. The following season, he slipped behind the flamboyant Khalid Shrahili in the pecking order and by the end of the season he found himself transfer-listed and Al Wehda were quick to snap him up. A talented goalkeeper with years ahead of him, Al Sudairi needs to work on his concentration and mental strength to develop into a future Saudi no.1. The former Al Hilal man is likely to be a starter for Al Wehda and his performances this season will be equally vital for his own career and Al Wehda’s aspirations.

Why should I follow them? Following a respectable mid-table finish last season, Al Wehda went all out this summer and signed 13 players so far, interestingly including three brothers (Kamil, Moataz and Rabia Al Moosa) in addition to brothers Kamil and Mukhtar Fallatah. The latter, an Al Wehda youth product who went on to make a name for himself at Ittihad, returns to his boyhood club after falling out of favour with Itti’s former manager Victor Piturca. Still 28, Fallatah will be hoping to regain his international spot by playing more regular first team football in Mecca and Al Wehda will hope he rewards them for their faith. Some interesting signings, but there is still a real possibility that the mass influx of new players will destabilize the club and lead to reverse impact.

Stadium: King Abdul Aziz Stadium, Mecca. (Capacity: 33,500)

Write up by: Wael Jabir – @WaelJabir

Al Faisaly

Manager: Helio Dos Anjos (Brazil)

2015/16 position: 10^th

2016/17 predicted position:  12^th

Key signing:  Everaldo Stum – After two seasons of finishing in the top half, Al Faisaly ended last season with a lowly 10^th place finish. Their poor goalscoring return was one of the key factors behind the disappointing campaign, former Real Madrid man Javier Balboa led their scoring charts with only 8 goals. Experienced Brazilian Coach Dos Anjos has come in from Najran and one of his first challenges was to address this. He quickly moved on to sign his compatriot Everaldo. Al Faisaly are the Brazilian striker’s 8^th club despite being just 25. He will need to bang in goals regularly if Al Faisaly are to get anywhere near top half again.

Key Player:  Ibrahim Zayed – Following the departure of veteran goalkeeper Mansour Al-Naje’ to Al-Batin, the 26 years old is set to take the no.1 spot, he started 6 games last season and conceded as many goals. The younger brother of former Ittihad legendary goalkeeper Mabrouk Zayed, Ibrahim will be looking to follow in his older brother’s steps and earn a call-up to the national team and a strong showing this season would be the first step towards that.

Why should I follow them? Al Faisaly has risen from the ashes to impose themselves on the Saudi Pro League. Since their promotion to the top tier in 2010, The Maroons have finished in the top half in all but two campaigns, including last season’s disappointing 10^th place finish. Changes have been made, but this is expected to be another difficult season en route to recovery. Expect them to stay up but another bottom half finish.

Stadium: King Salman Sports City, Harmah (Capacity: 7,000)

Write up by: Wael Jabir – @WaelJabir

Qadisiyah

Manager: Hamad Al Dossari (Saudi)

2015/16 position: 11^th

2016/17 predicted position:  13^th

Key signing:  Patrick Eze – Following the relegation of Fujairah FC to the UAE first division, their star striker was up for the taking and it was Qadisiyah who snapped up the Nigerian on loan. Eze netted 14 times in his 24 Arabian Gulf League appearances and will be looking to replicate that form in Saudi Arabia to avoid another relegation disappointment.

Key Player:  Abdul Rahman Al Obaid – 2015/16 has been a fantastic season for the young left back. Al Obaid, a Qadisiyah youth product, was one of the emerging stars of the Saudi season. His marauding runs down the left and pinpoint crosses producing 4 assists and a goal in 26 appearances and he was rewarded by his first call-up to the national team. The 23 years old continues to attract interest from the top four, but Qadisiyah managed to keep hold of him for the time being and it will be imperative that they continue to do so.

Why should I follow them? Once upon a time Asian champions, Al Qadisiyah are now a shadow of the big team they once were. Relegation battles are the norm in Khobar, the team has spent 3 seasons at the top flight and as many in the first division since 2010.The red and yellow team are set for yet another battle against the odds this season. We don’t expect a successful escape this time around, but they may just prove us wrong.

Stadium: Prince Saud bin Jalawi Stadium, Khobar. (Capacity: 20,000)

Write up by: Wael Jabir – @WaelJabir

Al Raed

Manager:  Nacif Al-Beyaoui (Tunisia)

15/16 position: 12th

16/17 predicted position: 9^th

Key signing: Gilmar – In past seasons Al-Raed always had to rely on a strong playmaker that would carry the team by controlling play and scoring goals. Armenian international Marcos Pizzelli did a fantastic job and evolved into a huge fan-favorite during the second part of the 15/16 season. He is now earning his money in UAE at Al-Fujairah as he was too expensive for Al-Raed. The Brazilian Gilmar, Pizzelli’s successor, can thus be considered the key signing of the transfer window. It’s a big step up for the 26 year old attacker, as he transfers to Saudi-Arabia from the small Maltese league, where he won the Player Of The Year award last season for scoring 15 goals and assisting 10. It will be extremely important for him to settle in quickly; otherwise he could end up being replaced in the winter transfer window, as so many other foreign players in the ALJ before him.

Key player: Jufain Al-Bishi – It would be easy to pick one of the foreign players here, all of them will be crucial. However an absolute key player will be team captain Jufain Al-Bishi, who has to emerge as a dominant figure in Al-Raed’s defense again in order for them to be successful. He is by far the best Saudi defender at the club right now and could build a formidable central defense with new signing Adriano Alves.

Why should I follow them? Buraidah based Al-Raed has been through a rough couple of years. The last two seasons the club only just managed to avoid relegation, finishing 11^th in 2015 and most recently 12^th last season. By far the most dramatic time during this struggle was the final game of the 2015/2016 season against Najran. The club with their versatile Brazilian foreign players put three goals past Fahad Al-Shammari and it looked like Al-Raed would spend this upcoming season playing the likes of Ohod and Al-Watani in the lower tier. An inspiring comeback, ignited by playmaker Marcos Pizzelli and – most importantly – captain Jufain Al-Bishi leveled the score though and gave the team enough momentum to also succeed in the relegation-playoff against Al-Batin in May. New president, new manager, lots of new players. Al-Raed are now looking for a fresh start in the 16/17 season of the ALJ, a badly needed one. The framework for a season without drama and big headlines is set; now management and players need to pull on one string to actually make it happen.

Stadium: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Buraidah. (Capacity: 29,850)

Write up by: Simon Siegmund – @alraed_live

 Ettifaq

Manager: Djamel Belkacem (Tunisia)

2015/16 position: 2^nd in the Saudi First Division

2016/17 predicted position:  11^th

Key signing:  Mohammed Koffi – After a less than impressive experience in Qatar, the Burkinabe international defender returns to the Gulf a decade later having made a name for himself in the Egyptian League. Now 29 and carrying 49 caps with Burkina Faso, including an African Cup of Nations silver medal. Koffi could prove to be a smart buy for The Commandos.

Key Player:  Mohamed Kanno – Ettifaq’s prized asset. Kanno came through the youth ranks of the Dammam team and has represented Saudi Arabia in all age groups bar the senior team. Standing at 191 cm tall, his strong physique and impeccable passing range make him a dominant presence in midfield while his bullet shots from distance pose an attacking threat on opponents. Ettifaq fended off offers in the region of $3m for Kanno during the past 12 months from the country’s top clubs and Kanno will want to repay the club for their faith in him. A spot in the senior national team could be beckoning should he maintain the form that saw him rise to stardom in his boyhood club.

Why should I follow them? A classic powerhouse is back. Ettifaq’s promotion to the top division is very much a case of return to normality. Two times league champions in the 1980s and Asian Champions League semi-finalists in 1989 have gone through some difficult time, but a new management under Khaled Al Dabal, son of former club president Abdullah Al Dabal has rebuilt from the basics and the team now has a strong foundation and are not expected to go down again easily. Exciting times ahead for the green and reds.

Stadium: Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium, Dammam. (Capacity: 26,000)

Write up by: Wael Jabir – @WaelJabir

Al Batin

Manager: Adel Abdelrahman (Egypt)

2015/16 position: 3^rd in Saudi First Division.

2016/17 predicted position: 14^th

Key signing: Nino Santos – the Brazilian defender moves across the border from Kuwait following a hugely successful five years spell at Al Jahra where he made the tag “Goalscoring Defender” synonymous with his name. The 31-year-old centre back is a threat from free kicks as well as headers and his penalty taking efficiency contributed to his excellent record of over 40 goals in Al Jahra colours, but where Al Batin will need Santos even more is at the back where they will have to brace themselves for teams taking the game to their half.

Key Player: Sahow Al-Mutairi – Al Batin’s own Jaime Vardy has scored for them in the second division, first division, promotion play-off and will now look to make his stamp on the grand stage of the top division. The local boy’s 11 goals last season were vital for Al Batin’s third place finish and if his form may just prove to be the key to an unlikely survival among the elite.

Why should I follow them? Playing in the fourth tier of Saudi football as recently as 2008, Al-Batin’s rise to the top tier was only completed a week ago when the Saudi FA announced they would be playing in “Dawry Jameel” instead of first division champions Al Majzal who are embroiled in a match fixing scandal that now sees them relegated to 3^rd division. As much as they were delighted with the news, the fact that it came just seven days before the league kicks off has put them in a very tough situation and the club has requested their first 2 fixtures are rescheduled for later to allow them time to complete moves for foreign players. The club from Hafar Al-Batin, in the far northeast of Saudi Arabia on the border with Kuwait, will need a miracle to survive this season.

Stadium: Al Batin Club Stadium, Hafar Al Batin (Capacity: 7,500)

Write up by: Wael Jabir – @WaelJabir

Al-Nassr, champions of the last two Saudi League editions who went toe-to-toe with Al-Ahli for the Saudi League title in the previous season are in a period of embarrassing struggle. Their loss to lowly and displaced Najran after going 2-0 up signalled the end of Cannavaro’s career and for the second time this season Rene Higuita took to the touchline to lead Al-Nassr amidst rumours of Murat Yakin’s short-term appointment as Al-Nassr head coach. Higuita’s line-up lacked midfield presence in deeper areas but a previously feared front line – Adrian Miezerjewski, Mohammad Al-Sahlawi and Marquinhos – led the Nassrawi fan base’s hopes.

Al-Ahli’s Christian Gross missed the likes of Mustafa Bassas – although fans are not too happy with him post-AFC U23 – Motaz Hawsawi, but that still didn’t prevent them from fielding a strong line-up. Omar Al-Somah was backed up by Marquinho, Ioannis Fetfatzidis and Salman Al-Moasher. Alongside Taisir Al-Jassim and Waleed “Welly” Bakhshween, Al-Ahli’s midfielders were pivotal in certain tactical battles that decided the game. Ali Al-Zubaidi, one of Saudi’s starters at the AFC U23, started at right-back.

Al-Ahli declare midfield war

Al-Ahli’s tactical plan circulated around midfield pressing, with Marquinho joining the – shockingly – lackadaisical Omar Al-Somah up front to create a rhombus-like shape around Al-Nassr’s double pivot: Ibra and Al-Jebreen. Their pressing didn’t necessarily have to be heavy but the ultimate plan was to eliminate passing options and clog passing lanes to win the ball from Al-Nassr.

The importance of their pressing locations resulted in the first goal of the game. They used the first 25 minutes or so to make sure Al-Nassr’s players wouldn’t be able to weave their way out of their own defensive third, constantly pressuring them whether it was high or a more conservative and calculated scheme. The main aim of this was to maximise the potential of winning the ball and the threat that supersedes the action. This led to, in the first half, an issue in the build-up play of Al-Nassr but surprisingly no hesitancy to speed the process of building up their attacks.

Al-Nassr’s pivots had no space to play proactively. They were closely marked or cover shadowed by both Omar Al-Somah and Marquinhos, leading them to a reactive style of play. This was coupled with the wingers’ close monitoring of the full backs, especially Salman Al-Moasher who got the better of Khaled Al-Ghamdi on many occasions.

Scoring the opener… Marquinho is found in space

This in turn had its effects on the way Al-Ahli attacked. As previously mentioned, they scored their first goal and what was the equaliser as a result of the monitoring scheme of their opposition. The pressing affected the positioning of both defensive midfielders at Al-Nassr, and Al-Ahli exploited the fact that they would stick closely together, coupled with a series of other factors such as Al-Nassr’s lack of confidence in defence and the poor form of Khaled Al-Ghamdi, drawing them out of the center and allowing Marquinho to penetrate the left half space and score.

Al-Nassr reply with Awesome Adrian

The build-up play at Al-Nassr is a shadow of what it used to be and has become progressively worse over the course of the season. However one player that will always be there for Al-Nassr is the magnificent midfielder Miezerjewski as some Al-Nassr fans like to name themselves on Twitter after him.

According to Al-Nassr’s line-up he would operate as a central attacking midfielder, and he’s always known to play at the tip of the diamond for Al-Nassr when they used to operate in a 4-3-1-2 shape. But on this occasion, he played as a left sided inverted wing back if we completely take his work into account.

The lack of progressive build-up, midfield presence and mentality in the heart of Al-Nassr’s midfield was an issue fixed swiftly by Higuita or Adrian himself. Adrian would drop into the midfield line, fall behind Hussein Abdulghani after he overlapped or move to either wing to help form attacks. Statistically, Al-Nassr were the better team offensively and in keeping the ball and that had to do with the change noticed after around 11 minutes of playing time, as a result of Al-Ahli’s strategy. But with Al-Nassr’s form disastrous at the time of writing, for that reason was the fact that they failed to capitalize on the match and douse the Al-Ahli attack until the game ended.

The situation occurred once again with Mohammad Al-Sahlawi playing as a False 9 at times. His positioning differed from either taking Adrian’s role in central attacking midfield or clashing with Maiga at right wing. There was even an occasion where both Adrian and Al-Sahlawi flanked Ibra in central midfield.

In the same photo, you can see one of the reasons why Maiga was subbed off early. His positioning was poor on the night, failing to provide any threat of sort on the right wing and inevitably being replaced by the most expensive Saudi player Yehia Al-Shehri.

Likewise with Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr’s main tactical point led to their opening goal. Al-Sahlawi dropped deep, drawing Al-Ahli’s defenders to himself and Adrian, playing a wall pass before Adrian set Marquinhos through on goal to break the deadlock.

Conclusion

The Saudi League continues to improve in terms of actual playing time and tactical innovation, and if there’s anyone set to challenge for the Asian Champions League besides Al-Ain at the current time, it is definitely one of the Saudi teams. Al-Ahli will be in Al-Ain’s group for the Champions League which will be a clash of two smart managers: Gross vs. Dalic.

Al-Nassr despite their disastrous season, have the Asian Champions League to look forward to. But in terms of their league season, they seem all but out of the top 4.

Was Da Silva ever the right man for Al-Nassr?

Da Silva has undoubtedly made some fatal mistakes that can easily be pointed out by any avid follower of the team. The late start to the team’s pre-season preparation is arguably one of the key causes in the team’s woes this season. The Uruguayan’s poor reading of matches’ proceedings and his unidimensional playing style were among his weaknesses but most critical of all was the team’s lack of mental and physical preparation evident by repeatedly losing games, and even trophies in the dying stages of the match. The former Penarol manager had been branded “Tactically Average” and below Al-Nassr’s level. Club legend Majed Abdullah pointed at a TV interview towards the end of last season that Da Silva “Came at a time where Al-Nassr were already top of the league, thanks to Caneda. He continued to rack points despite obvious mistakes in some matches.” The former no.9 continued, “The team now has a collection of star players in all positions, so they need a manager who is tactically better [than Da Silva], someone who can utilize those players right, read the oppositions and use more than one system. All traits Da Silva doesn’t seem to possess”.

Is Fabio Cannavaro this tactically superior manager Majed has been calling for? The 42 years old may be a Ballon d’Or winner and a World Champion as a player, but he is very much unproven as a manager. The Italian spend the twilight of his career playing for this season’s AFC Champions League finalists Al-Ahli Dubai before hanging his boots in 2011 and stayed at the club in various coaching and administrative capacities before heading east to start his managerial career with the other Champions League finalists Guangzhou Evergrande. His brief tenure at the Tianhe Stadium was fairly successful if not impressive, leading the team to the top of the Chinese Super League as well as Champions League quarter final before having his contract terminated “by mutual consent” just 8 months into the job as club directors claimed he was not “in line with their strategy”.

Cannavaro gets to know his staff. Will they                                    achieve success together?

In turn, tough questions need to be asked for Al-Nassr’s hierarchy; is this not the same management that recruited Da Silva back in 2009 before sacking him in the middle of that season? Were they not following his work last season and able to sack him at the end of the season if he was deemed unconvincing rather than wait until now? It seems that the board members have decided to take the easy route, continue with a familiar name to them and to the players, even if he was not an accomplished manager instead of taking a risk to bring in an established coach who then may or may not succeed at Al-Nassr. In handing Fabio Cannavaro a contract just until the end of the season, it appears that Al-Nassr are opting for a short-term fix to help them retain their league title. The Italian, although inexperienced, could still prove to be a success. His limited managerial record could even be the driver for him to work harder to build a reputation for himself. It will be a challenge for Cannavaro to adapt to life in Riyadh and get to know his players well enough to make a difference. Al-Nassr may yet leave to ask themselves, would it have been better to hire from within someone with proper knowledge of the club and the league.

There has been an accumulation of mistakes by Al-Nassr management in choosing to continue with Da Silva into the new season in addition to stalling in finalizing deals for foreign players. This does not, however, take anything from the hard work put by the board of directors and Chairman Prince Faisal bin Turki over the past few season that has resulted in the return of the yellow team to trophies after long years of draught. To maintain these gains, Al-Nassr management needs to take the road less travelled and have a more strict approach with those players who have not put in performances to justify the high salaries they earn, no matter how popular those players are. The board needs to make their mind about whether to stick to Cannvaro beyond this season and provide him with the support he needs to be a success at the club or put together a solid succession plan for a new manager to take over as soon as the season is over to take the team into the next level. The question remains, will Al-Nassr board learn their lessons or will they repeat the very same mistakes of the past?

To make this simple for you, we have hyperlinks to any league you would like to read at your own pleasure. We also have live leagues and results, so feel free to use this tool that will be your guide for any of the teams in the league that you want to read: https://ahdaaf.me/fixtures-results/

Hyperlinks

Persian Gulf Pro League

Arabian Gulf League

Qatar Stars League

Saudi Arabian ALJ League

Lebanese Premier League

Jordan, Oman, Iraq, Palestine, Bahrain, Kuwait

Team & Player of the Week

Week 7 – Persian Gulf Pro League

Game of the Week

Rah Ahan 5-0 Esteghlal Ahvaz

Stadium: Rah Ahan Stadium

Attendance: 100

Newly promoted Esteghlal Ahvaz travelled to Tehran to face Rah Ahan in what was considered as the first relegation 6-pointer of the season. Prior to the game, there was a lot of controversy surrounding the Esteghlal Ahvaz camp, with some high profile players complaining about a lack of payment of their contracts and other broken promises by the club. Both teams only had one win to show for their season, so they both aimed to get maximum points in this clash.

After observing a minute’s silence in respect to the recently deceased Persepolis captain, Hadi Norouzi, Esteghlal Ahvaz got the game under way. Early stages of the game saw both teams trying to dominate midfield and create scoring opportunities from a more direct approach. But it was the home side who took the lead on 10^th minute, it was Mehrdad Mohammadi’s great work down the left which created the goal after he found Amin Manouchehri across the goal as the latter tapped the ball in to break the deadlock. Esteghlal Ahvaz captain, Adel Kolahkaj, came close to putting the game back on level terms when he headed wide from a corner, it was a great opportunity as the Rah Ahan defence fell asleep but Kolahkaj may regret this huge miss. Minutes later, it was time for Rah Ahan’s captain, Bahador Abdi, to step up as his persistence in the penalty box created a havoc and Esteghlal Ahvaz’ failure to clear the ball gave Mehrdad Mohammadi an opportunity to volley home inside the 6 yards box, and he converted to double his team’s lead. Rest of the first half saw the visitors pushing for a goal, and they went close on a couple of occasions but Rah Ahan’s goalkeeper, Mohammad Ali Ramezanian, was on hand to make some crucial saves to keep the score at 2-0 before the break.

The game was indifferent in 2^nd half, with neither team eager to push on to score. But on 70^th minute, as Esteghlal Ahvaz pushed for a goal to get back into the game, Rah Ahan hit them on the counter and it was Amin Manouchehri on the right who noticed Mehrdad Mohammad running towards to the box and laid the ball at his feet as Mohammadi’s accurate side footed shot found the corner of the net to put the game beyond their opponents. The last few minutes of the game saw Esteghlal Ahvaz giving up as they allowed their hosts to score 2 more goals with some comical defending on the show. 23 year old Hossein Karimi and Captain, Bahador Abdi, scored the 4^th and 5^th goal respectively as Rah Ahan recorded their 2^nd win of the season in emphatic fashion.

It was a terrible performance from Esteghlal Ahvaz, with their defence cutting open time and time again allowing their opponents to score 5. As a result, Siavash Bakhtiarizadeh, was sacked as manager and he has been replaced by Ali Hanteh. Rah Ahan, however, are looking good under their new manager, Mehdi Tartar, and aiming to get more points across the table in the coming weeks.

Rest of the Games

The most anticipated game of the week took place at the Azadi Stadium where Persepolis took on Saba Qom. There was a lot of eyes on this game but for non-football reasons. Persepolis, tragically lost their club captain, Hadi Norouzi, who passed away over a week before the game and the players were keen to get on the pitch and win a game in his memory. Before the game started, the fans held up a “Hadi24” tifo in the memory of their captain. Saba took the lead through former Esteghlal and Persepolis man, Mohammad Ghazi, before Persepolis’s man in-form, Mehdi Taremi, equalised in 2^nd half as the game ended 1-1.

A crisis hit Foolad hosted Tractor Sazi in what turned out to be a game full of action. Tractor Sazi had to come back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 as Mohammad Iranpourian scored a 90^th minute winner from the penalty spot. Omid Khaledi had given Foolad the lead on 65^th minute before Augusto Cesar equalised 6 minutes later. Farid Karimi of Tractor Sazi and Esmaeil Sharifat of Foolad were sent off during the 2^nd half, as Foolad find themselves at the foot of the table.

Zob Ahan took another leap towards the top of the table as they earned a hard earned 1-0 win away from home at Saipa. Masoud Hassanzadeh scored the only goal of the game on 16^th minute which takes Zob Ahan up to 4^th in the table just above Saipa.

Mehdi Kheiri scored the goal of the week as Padideh held league leaders, Esteghlal, to a 1-1 draw at home. Kheiri’s 40 yard spectacular goal gave Padideh the lead inside the first 5 minutes before Hossein Moradmand’s own goal gave Esteghlal an equaliser just before the hour mark. Esteghlal remain at the top of the table ahead with other results going their way.

Elsewhere in Esfahan, defending champions, Sepahan, faced Siah Jamegan as they aimed to put more pressure on leaders Esteghlal. However, Siah Jamegan’s resolute performance earned them a 1-1 draw in such a difficult away trip. Mehdi Sharifi scored for Sepahan just before the break as Behrouz Afshar brought the game back to level terms in the 2^nd half. Sepahan remain 2^nd in the table only on goal difference ahead of 3^rd placed Esteghlal Khuzestan.

Naft Tehran who have had a difficult start to the season, travelled to Tabriz to face Gostaresh. Aloys Nong gave visitors the lead but Omid Nezamipour earned his team a point at home as the game ended 1-1. Naft remain just outside the relegation zone as manager, Alireza Mansourian, aims to get his team back to winning ways sooner rather than later.

The only 0-0 draw of the week came in Ahvaz where Esteghlal Khuzestan welcomed Malavan. A point each way was a fair result as Esteghlal Khuzestan continue their incredible run this season, after surviving by the skin of their teeth last season, they are now 3^rd in the table amassing 15 points from 8 games.

Ahdaaf Player of the Week:

Mehrdad Mohammadi’s performance in his team’s 5-0 win at home earns him the Player of the Week award. With two goals and an assist, he was instrumental in earning his team an invaluable 3 points.  The 22 year old midfielder has had a fantastic start to the season, he is the league’s joint top goalscorer with 6 goals and many assists.

Written by Sina Saemian 

Week 5 – Arabian Gulf League

Game of the Week

Al-Ahli 3-1 Sharjah

Stadium: Rashid Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 3,300

Sharjah’s hopes dwindle weekly, as their attendance continues to dwindle too. The away fans were loud for the majority of the first half as new signing Maicosuel scored another league goal. However, the Al-Ahli attack was too good. The amount of times we’ve said, tweeted or written this…

Lima, Sow and Al-Hammadi proved a deadly trio as they all helped each other out to score. Obviously not forgetting Habib Fardan’s addition this time. The Al-Ahli side had next to no weaknesses despite going down 1-0. Overall, the game wasn’t entertaining as much itself. The week was very drab in the Arabian Gulf League, with two 0-0 draws taking over in the supposed ‘Games of the Week’! (Al-Jazira x Al-Shabab // Al-Nasr x Al-Wahda)

Moussa Sow fights Muhain Khalifa off the ball. (Photo: agleague.ae)

However one thing that we should note is Cosmin’s reluctance to play a weakened squad. Even in the Arabian Gulf Cup – a second tier cup – the likes of Lima, Sow, Ribeiro, Fardan, Salmin and Kwon play. Nevertheless, that’s not to say young players aren’t getting their chances. Saeed Ahmed, Humaid Abbas, Humaid Salmin, Adil Al-Hammadi, Yousif Al-Sayed are some of the names that have seen game time across the course of the season.

Rest of the Games 

Al-Jazira 0-0 Al-Shabab

Stadium: Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 3,120

To think that Al-Jazira’s attendances in the league over the past 5 seasons has always stayed above 6,000 at the bare minimum in terms of average attendances. Now, look at their level. This is taking into account an Abu Dhabi Derby (Al-Wahda), one of the biggest fan bases (Al-Wasl) and a top four challenger (Al-Shabab) have come to face them.

Carlos Villanueva proving his excellence once again. (Photo: agleague.ae)

What if the likes of Dibba, Al-Dhafra and Fujairah come to play at the MBZ stadium? All we know is, the league attendances this season have been largely disappointing. Al-Jazira faced Fujairah, Emirates and Al-Ain in the first 3 games of 2014-15 to see an average attendance of 8,468 – only for it to deteriorate to 3,533 in the current season.

Nevertheless, the game was a very tight affair that saw an improved Al-Jazira defence with not much to note of. One move by Caio Junior that saw a difference is moving Jo to the wing and Villanueva into the centre: a tactical change not seen in the AGL.

Fujairah 1-1 Al-Dhafra 

Stadium: Fujairah, Fujairah

Attendance: 856

A game that lacked anything to begin with, it was all up to individual ability of Hassan Maatouk to create something out of nothing. Yet that wasn’t present in this game to everyone’s ultimate surprise. Defensive mistakes saw each team bag a goal, and that was the story of the game in essence.

Patrick Eze slips in a pass before falling to the ground. (Photo: agleague.ae)

Patrick Eze stole the ball off an Al-Dhafra defender before opening the scoring, while Al-Dhafra’s fuzzy haired central midfielder Al-Naqbi scored a long-range goal that Al-Ruwahi (Fujairah GK) caught and let go of in between his own legs! Silly mistakes by the goalkeeper have continued. It is important to remember that Al-Ruwahi was the goalkeeper who conceded 8 against Al-Ahli in the opening game of the season.

Al-Ain 1-0 Dibba

Stadium: Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al-Ain

Attendance: 3,148

Ryan Babel was the talk of a very boring game. He started off well to begin with, before getting a red card (sparking tweets to him claiming that he got sent off to watch Klopp’s debut at Liverpool against Tottenham!) during the proceedings of the first half.

It was up to Omar Abdulrahman to force a winner, as he crossed it towards goal only for recent internationally retired defender Bilal Najjarine scoring one of the best own goals we’ve seen in a while.

Omar Abdulrahman. (Photo: agleague.ae)

Al-Nasr 0-0 Al-Wahda 

Stadium: Maktoum Stadium, Dubai

Attendance: 2,540

The match did not live up to its expected level, especially Al-Nasr who failed to grab the 3 important points that could have kept them at the top of the table. The international break clearly affected both sets of players.

The match lacked any chances to speak of, specifically from Al-Wahda who suffered from playing with a man down. Mohammad Bargash saw himself sent off in the first half. On the other hand, Al-Nasr players failed to take advantage of the extra space gained in the absence of an extra man.

Tariq Ahmed (left) fights off Sebastian Tagliablue. (Photo: agleague.ae)

Jimenez, Pitroipa and Kembo Ekoko have been fantastic since the beginning of the season. However, this was the first time that all three failed to make an impact on the match. They failed to threaten any of the Al-Wahda centre backs.

Al-Wahda closed the gaps in the second half with two banks of 4, however that didn’t change the course of the game either. This saw the game end in a stalemate.

Al-Shaab 1-2 Al-Wasl

Stadium: Khaled Bin Mohammad, Sharjah

Attendance: 2,962

The talking point of the game has to take into account the Al-Shaab fans who showed up in numbers once again. Numbers is on the level of Emirati football, where the average attendance is around 2,500.

Moreover, this season has seen Al-Shaab rank amongst the highest teams in the league in terms of attendance despite their poor start. When Al-Shaab have had a higher average attendance than Al-Ain, there is definitely a problem with the way the league is going attendance-wise.

The other Lima: Fabio Virginio (right). (Photo: agleague.ae)

Looking at the play, it was really both teams without a plan. Al-Wasl’s fans questioned the way Calderon – a manager who structured Al-Wasl very well last season – set up the team. It was only until the final half hour of the game where Al-Wasl took the lead. Fabio Lima opened the scoring, before Edgar Bruno ended his league goal drought. Former Waslawi Maher Jassem brought Al-Shaab’s hopes back in the 89^th minute, however the Cheetahs saw the game out.

Emirates 0-3 Baniyas

Stadium: Emirates Stadium, Ras Al-Khaimah

Attendance: 1,750

Defensive mistakes played a big part in Emirates’ 3-0 loss to Baniyas. Poor positioning in their deep defensive block led to some great chances for Baniyas. The reason for this derives from Baniyas’ central midfielders’ freedom. Mark Milligan and Amer Abdulrahman were both allowed the space to dictate the game and this was visible in Amer’s brilliant assist to Joaquin Larrivey.

Royston Drenthe has been physically tormenting AGL defenders. (Photo: agleague.ae)

In the second half, Baniyas defended in numbers but were afraid of its implications considering that this resulted in Al-Shabab scoring a late equaliser in the previous game. Luis Garcia instructed his team to attack, and they grabbed the 3^rd goal. Baniyas are the dark horses of this season.

Written by Hamoudi Fayad

Week 4 – Qatar Stars League

Game of the Week

Lekhwiya 2-3 Al-Arabi

Stadium: Abdulla bin Khalifa Stadium, Lekhwiya

Attendance: 3,300

In what could prove to be a very crucial result in the course of the 2015/16 season, Al-Arabi pulled off a major surprise by beating defending champions Lekhwiya 3-2 last Sunday. It was billed as the real litmus test for Gianfranco Zola’s men, facing the best team in the country but Al-Arabi showed no signs of being overwhelmed by the occasion.

Lekhwiya came into the match in the face of some controversy, after Ahmed Yasser’s suspension drama. They were looking to put it all behind them but were given a rude shock in the second minute of the game when Junior Dutra calmly struck the opener from the edge of the box. Al-Arabi then proceeded to play some of their best football so far, with a mature display in all areas until they suddenly capitulated just a few minutes before halftime. In a four-minute spell, Lekhwiya turned the tables. Youssef Msakni equalised in the 38th minute before Vladimir Weiss got the second for the Cops in the 41st with a long-range strike. Going into halftime, it seemed Al-Arabi’s good form was ill-fated and short. But after the restart, they returned as a different team.

Deservedly, the Reds equalized in the 62nd minute. Once again, it was Dutra, who played a delightful one-two with fellow Brazilian Paulinho, got into the box and slot the ball past Lecomte to spark a revival in the Al-Arabi stands. Five minutes later, there was more noise when Dutra completed his hattrick, latching on to a pass from Ashkan Dejagah before placing the ball beyond Lecomte’s reach.

To make matters worse for Lekhwiya, captain Karim Boudiaf was sent off for elbowing Dutra in the 75th minute. Boudiaf then proceeded to attack a second player, before throwing his armband at the linesman and gesturing to the fans before leaving the field. The QFA would go on to hand him a six-month suspension and a QR 300,000 fine. Watch Karim Boudiaf’s fit: 

Rest of the Games

Al-Khor 2-4 Al-Rayyan

Al-Rayyan remained at the top of the table with a 100% record after yet another win, this time against struggling Al-Khor. Captain Rodrigo Tabata opened the scoring in the first minute before Mubarak Eid equalised for Al-Khor (19th). New signing Gonzalo Viera then regained the lead for Rayyan (21st), netting his third goal of the season. Youngster Abdulhamid Anad scored Rayyan’s third (25th) before teeing up Sergio Garcia for the fourth (45th). Al-Khor attempted to get back in the game but could only score once through Lee Yong (52nd).

Al-Ahli 2-2 Al-Kharaitiyat

The Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium witnessed a fine match when Ahli and Kharaitiyat went head to head. It was Kharaitiyat who took the initiative and two goals from Hassan Abdelfattah (42nd) and Anwar Diba (49th) seemed to have put them in the driving seat. However, Al-Ahli responded brilliantly with two penalties: Meshaal Abdullah reducing the deficit (70th) and Mujtaba Jabbari scoring late (92nd) to salvage a point. 

Al-Wakrah 1-2 Al-Sailiya

Al-Wakrah’s horrrible start to the season continued after a defeat at the hands of Al-Sailiya. Last season’s PGPL top scorer Edinho put Sailiya in the lead (28th) before Mouhcine Moutouali equalised for Al-Wakrah from a penalty (59th). Bahraini midfielder Faouzi Ayesh then produced a free-kick which didn’t seem dangerous before Wakrah keeper Inyass dropped what should have been an easy catch, gifting Sailiya the winner (64th). 

Mesaimeer 0-3 Umm Salal 

Promoted Mesaimeer are finding the Qatar Stars League too tough to handle, with this defeat by Umm Salal leaving them at the bottom of the standings with zero points and no goals scored after five rounds. This time, goals from Ismail Mahmoud (23rd), Theyab al-Annabi (89th) and Yannick Sagbo (90th) that did the damage.

Written by Ahmed Hashim

Week 4 – Saudi ALJ League

Game of the Week

Al-Ahli 4-2 Al-Nassr

Stadium: Al-Jawhara Stadium (King bdullah Sport City), Jeddah

Attendance: 32,543

The Saudi ALJ League El Clásico between Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr turned out to be a one-sided match. Al-Ahli won with a sweeping victory against Al-Nassr in King Abdullah Sport City – Stadium, Jeddah, nicknamed The Jewel, with more than 32,000 spectators watching. Al-Ahli was playing at home with seven points at second place on the ALJ League standings and Al-Nassr with 5 points at fifth place. Al-Ahli’s win is not a matter of three points only, but they also were able to put Al-Nassr in more despair and push last season’s Champions and a very fierce rival a step farther away from the title. This win is also a new record, 38 matches undefeated!

As always, El Clásico between Al-Ahli and Al-Nassr was dramatic, full of goals and action. Al-Ahli head coach Christian Gross entered the match with a 4-2-3-1 formation, while Al-Nassr head coach Jorge da Silva had 4-3-1-2 formation at hand. With five quick and skillful midfielders from Al-Ahli on the pitch, the Al-Nassr defense, especially the left side, suffered tremendously. Al-Nassr left back Hussain Abdulghani, aged 38, and the centre back Muhammad Hussain, aged 35, could not keep up with Al-Ahli swift midfielders: Tayseer Al-Jasim, Salman Al-Moasher, and Hussain Al-Mqahwi. The match was on fire just right from the beginning. Omar Al-Somah executed a free-kick just outside the box brilliantly from beneath the wall, surprisingly, to hit the back of net. Al-Nassr goalkeeper, Al-Enezi, could only watch the ball waddling straight to the goal 6′.

Adrian Miezerjewski trying to help Al-Nassr in any way possible. (Photo: MBC)

After Al-Ahli’s first goal, Al-Nassr tried to get back to the match and they were able to control the match for about 20 minutes but in vain. Another free kick a little bit farther this time, the mighty Omar Al-Somah was able to do it again and score the second goal 28′, this time Cristiano Ronaldo style! Few minutes later, Al-Somah scored a hat-trick making it in just 37 minutes after an excellent assist from Mustafa Bassas who was able to beat the defender, Muhammad Hussain. That goal just killed the match! Jorge da Silva who appeared clueless, replaced the robust central defensive midfielder, Abdulaziz Al-Jebreen, by the skillful playmaker Yahia Al-Shehri in a strange attempt to come back! That actually made things worse, it created more space for counterattacks. Maiga and Hazazi had two real chances to score at least a goal before half time, but Al-Ahli’s veteran defender, Osama Hawsawi, was able to save it. The first half ended with Al-Ahli leading the match with 3 goals to nil.

(Photo: Sanaa Press)

Al-Nassr started the second half more determined to do something, their efforts paid off a penalty. Adrian Mierzejewski scored Al-Nassr first goal 69′ from the penalty spot. That goal provoked Al-Ali players thus the match became more intense. While Al-Nassr was struggling to come back to the match, Tayseer Al-Jasim passed a superb through ball to Islam Seraj who unleashed an unstoppable right-footed drive into the back of the net scoring the fourth goal 72′ and securing the three points. In an attempt to save the face, Al-Nassr attacked in the last 20 minutes but it was too late. Omar Hawsawi, however, managed to do what the strikers could not. He scored the second goal 82′ for Al-Nassr after diverting a long pass from a free kick from Hussain Abdulghani. The final score was 4:2, Al-Ahli to the top of ALJ standings.

Christian Gross was able to outperform Jorge da Silva yet again. With such a clever coach and brilliant squad, Al-Ahli could finally win the title that has been away for 32 years now. The champions of the ALJ, Al-Nassr, for the last two years are in their worst shape since José Daniel Carreño managed the team in September 2012! Probably, Gross has put the final nail in da Silva’s coffin! So, will Al-Ahli continue its extraordinary performances to win the title? Or, is it going to be a replica of last season when Al-Ahli defeated Al-Nassr twice; but still, Al-Nassr won the title?

Written by Nasser Al Beshri

Rest of the Games

Hajer 1-2 Al-Khaleej

Things didn’t look promising for hosts Hajer early in their match against Al-Khaleej after veteran defender Rashid Al Raheeb had a penalty called against after forward Abobaker Sylla plunged to the ground from the slightest contact he could sense. Ibrahim Al Zawahreh’s penalty was saved brilliantly by captain Mustafa Malayekah, yet the daring save did little in the hosts’ favor as less than 20 minutes later Hajer’s defense produced a calamity of an effort of clearing the ball when Mansour Nammazi caught his team Ali Al-Zubaidi in the stomach which resulted in the ball to be deflected in his own net. Al-Zubaidi took to the ground although doubtful it was because of pain more than to hide his face.

Marwan Hussein extended the lead in favor of the guests just before halftime after Mustafa Malayekah perried a shot from Talal Majrashi only for the ball to find itself at the Iraqi’s feet for a tapin. It seemed Al-Khaleej were easily on their way to the first 3 points of the season. Dragan Ceran gave the match life again after he unleashed a rocket of a shot that went off the left post from just outside the semicircle of the 18 yard box. Unfortunately for Hajer, that wasn’t enough. Al-Khaleej claimed their first win as well as their first pair of goals in 3 months.

Al-Raed 0-0 Fateh

Not a lot to be said about this fixture other than dead last Al-Raed finally getting a point since the beginning of the season in a match that surprisingly saw them look sharper than their guests Fateh. The former champions from 2 seasons ago looked off sync after the international break and barely looked for a goal or a win at King Abdullah Sport City.

Al-Wehda 2-2 Al-Faisaly

Al-Wehda took the lead in the 37th minute after Ali Awaji took advantage of a shambolic attempt by goalkeeper Ibrahim Zaid to easily place it in the net. Al-Faisaly – still buzzing from their display against Al-Ittihad from the 3rd round came back flying after Hamza Al-Dardour’s cross found Javier Balboa only 3 minutes after conceding the match’s first goal. Like that was enough, Al-Wehda quickly charged back at Ibrahim Zaid’s goal in the 42nd minute. Goalscorer Ali Awaji passed the ball to Lima, who held the ball until Awaji found space and zig-zagged from the left side of the box to right. Lima threaded it back to Awaji, who dribbled his way to just a few yards before the goal-line and crossed it back to Lima who side-footed into the back of the net.

The second half was a different as it seemed to drag on forever until the 3rd minute of stoppage time when Fawaz Fallatah’s cross found Hamza Al-Dardour but his attempt shanked the ball awkardly in Al-Wehda’s box to find an unmarked Mohammed Salem who headed the ball towards the goal but was an inch high and deflected off the bar back to none other than culprit Al-Dardour but this time he was ready in headed it in easily giving Al-Faisaly a precious point in the dying seconds. 

Al-Qadisyah 1-3 Al-Ittihad

(Photo: Sport)

Al-Ittihad started their match in Khobar as Sulley Muntari cherry picked the ball in the middle of the park in the 20 minute mark and passed it over to Rivas who only needed a touch before he let loose of a screamer from the tip of the 18 yard box that had goalkeeper Faisal Masrahi in no-man’s land taking the lead for the guests in what looked like a one-sided affair to that point. Al-Qadisiyah were extended a lifeline 5 minutes afterwards after Ittihad forward Abdulrahman Al Ghamdi’s attempt at dribbling in front of his own box resulted in Diego Mauricio bolting in and taking a shot with his left foot only for goalkeeper Fawaz Al-Qarni to block it, but it didn’t end there. The ball rolled back to Mauricio who was losing his balance and edging out of the pitch, and in a desperate attempt to correct his mistake in came Abdulrahman AlGhamdi. The young forward attempted to clear the ball, but the ball went straight to Diego Mauricio’s hip – who was standing outside by then – and came rolling back into the pitch to find an unmarked Hassan Al-Amri who easily made it 1-1.

The moment of comedic fortune didn’t help the hosts in the 58th minute when Muntari found Rivas again – this time with a diagonal lob pass that the Venezuelan calmly controlled on his chest and whipped on the volley to make it 2-1 in favor of Al-Ittihad. Rivas had to claim his hat-trick, and that he did in the 83rd minute when he found Fahad Al-Muwallad’s ground pass from the right and sidefooted it make it 3 and over in favor of the Jeddah club who needed this win for confidence more than anything else. The starting lineup came on the pitch all wearing home kits with the number 44 printed on both sides in solidarity with their teammate Mukthar Fallatah, whom had become a villain in the eyes of the Ittihad faithful after a spat between the player and a fan turned sour because of Fallatah losing cool and resolving to profane insults. That same unity showed in the match. The young Ittihad could have collapsed again after Al-Ghamdi’s mistake but rose from the ashes looking to claim something they deserved.

Najran 0-1 Al-Shabab

Al-Shabab did what needed to be done in a match that saw more collisions and acts of force than it did actual playing of football. Diego Arismendi’s effort at heading it backwards from a Rafinha cross only resulted in it bouncing above Najran’s defense and finding bandaged countryman Mauricio Affonso unmarked and he headed the ball as strong as his damaged head could hit it. Goalkeeper Abdulaziz Takrouni got a hand on it but it wasn’t enough as that was the decider in a match that saw as many cards as it did shots on target (Yes, really).

Written by Othman At-Twaijri

Week 1 – Lebanese League

Televised games 

Ansar 1-1 Tripoli 

Stadium: Tripoli Municipal Stadium, Tripoli

Attendance: 1,000

Ansar started a new (revived) era under Jamal Taha, one of the better players in Lebanese football who has now become manager. His status in Lebanon is very high, despite almost getting Shabab Al-Sahel relegated last season. The Lebanese League started off with a cracker.

Ghanaians Abdulaziz Youssef and Michael Helegbe teamed up to create havoc on Ansar defenders, namely Hussein Al-Sayed. Al-Sayed, who went off before the end of the first half, missed the ball on a couple of occasions allowing the attackers on goal. Ansar quickly returned under the guidance of the low-tempered Rabih Ataya who helped Imad Ghaddar earn and score a penalty.

Ataya is national team quality, only his behaviour doesn’t represent that. He failed to play many games for the team last season and was on the verge of leaving, but Ansar need him if anything. A constant menace in central attacking midfield, it will only be time until we see him in the national team despite the circumstances…

Nabi Chit 2-1 Ahed

Stadium: Nabi Chit Stadium, Zahle, Beqaa

Attendance: 200

The Champions succumbed to a 2-1 defeat in the governorate of Beqaa. After summer changes that saw manager Mahmoud Hammoud look for ways to tactically enhance the team, a loss ensued.

Two trophies (Lebanese Elite Cup and Lebanese Super Cup) over the summer were enough to bring the Ahed fan base to a sense of optimism, especially with the AFC Cup a very important competition come February. They don’t want to fall into the same trap as Nejmeh, who embarrassed themselves in the tournament last year.

But it was our friend Abdoulaye Kanoute who scored the winner against Ahed. That’s right, Kanoute was without a club the last time we wrote about him. Ultimately travelling to Bahrain after Malkiya’s trial offer, he returned to Mali citing technical reasons were the problem during his time in the Gulf nation. We sorted him out with the right people that linked him to preferred clubs in Nabi Chit, Safa and Shabab Sahel. Inevitably, he signed for Nabi Chit to replace Cheikh Diouck who left to Safa in the process.

Nejmeh 1-1 Shabab Sahel

Stadium: Sidon International Stadium, Sidon

Attendance: 3,000

Karl Max Dany grabs his first ever Nejmeh goal. (Photo: Al-Mustaqbal)

Moussa Kabiru started his first game for Shabab Sahel, this coming after a fantastic 8 goals scored in the pre-season Challenge Cup. How did he fare in his first game against the biggest club in Lebanon? By scoring, that’s how. Shabab Sahel saw fresh performances off the back of captain and veteran Zuheir Abdullah at right back too.

However Nejmeh came back into the game through new Chadian striker Karl Max Dany, scoring a powerful shot into the top corner. Joan Oumari’s brother and new signing Hassan Oumari excelled at left back where he create the adequate chances for strikers to take advantage of. Moussa Hojeij will be happy from the point gained in his first game as Sahel manager, ironically against the team he excelled at during his playing career.

Written by Hamoudi Fayad 

Non-Televised Games

Racing 1-3 Safa 

Al-Safa dominated the first half despite Racing players’ effort. The first 15 minutes of the game showed how Safa was dominating over the based in Achrafiyeh. Racing players were a bit lost against the huge performance by Safa and Lebanese national team winger Mohammed Haidar who scored the first goal (15^th minute) of the game despite missing two easy chances later on, a header and a one-on-one in the 38th and 40^th minute respectively.

(Photo: Al-Mustaqbal)

In the second half, although Racing’s imports weren’t as good as expected the team came back in the game by keeping the ball more in Safa’s half but unfortunately Safa scored their second goal (78^th minute) by Hazimeh on the goal keeper’s left after a long pass from his team mate Ahmad Jalloul ending Racing’s domination during the second half.

Later on, youngster Omar El-Kurdi scored a screamer (83^rd minute) giving Safa a comfortable lead, 3-0. 5 minutes later, Adnan Melhem crossed the ball to Racing’s foreign player Dragic who scored Racing’s first goal. The match ended 1-3 and the White Castle fans weren’t satisfied by their team’s performance.

Written by Abed Aydin

Oman Derby fails to entertain despite record 12,000 attendance – Sohar, Oman

Week 4 – Oman Professional League

More than 12,000 fans on a blue and green night came to watch from the North Batinah region in Oman. Neighbours Sohar and Saham played at the Sports Complex in Sohar during the 4^th round of the 3^rd edition of the Oman Professional League.

Bader Al-Jaberi and Vedran Gerc brought in a lot of resentment towards their performances as both failed to grant Sohar the win in the last 10 minutes of the game. The fans saw that lack of concentration and urgency led to these problems, however Saham fans felt relieved with the scoreline.

A point in Sohar’s stadium (with the stadium situation in Oman this is technically a home game for Saham!) was enough for them to feel good considering their start to the league campaign. Fans were entertained with the atmosphere, which was a great addition to the league this season.

Sohar relied on playing the ball from deep into dangerous positions and getting their wide players involved, while Saham sat back relishing a chance on the counter. A 0-0 draw may have been fair for a game of such caliber. Sohar face Al-Suwaiq next in another match expected to bring in a large attendance.

Al-Faisaly’s rocky start continues – Amman, Jordan

Week 3 – Jordanian Pro League

Al-Faisaly could only gain a point in their match against Al-Asalah in a 1-1 draw during the third week of the Jordanian League. Al-Faisaly opened the scoring against the newly-promoted opponent in the 74^th minute, via the Senegalese striker Alassane Diallo. This was only until Al-Asalah equalised during injury time via Saed Al-Daboubi.

Al-Faisaly now sit in mid-table with 4 points, as Al-Asalah gained their first point of the season. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli stole a win from That Ras to gain their first of them this season only for Wehdat to further their title credentials with a powerful win over Shabab Ordon.

Chathir arrives as Shurta manager, Younis Mahmoud scores first goal back at Talaba – Iraq

Week 6 – Fuchs Premier League

Sitting in 9^th place in the Iraqi League at time of writing, Hakeem Shaker left his position as Al-Shurta manager in what was their 4^th loss of the season. 6 points in 6 match days was not enough for a team who expect to challenge for the title. A loss to Nadi Amana Baghdad didn’t bode well with the board either, who went on to sign Qahtan Chathir in quick fashion after a week of speculation.

Qahtan Chathir welcomed at Al-Shurta. (Photo: الاخبار الانتقالات الدوري العراقي – Facebook)

In Group 1, a crazy game occurred between Younis Mahmoud’s Talaba and the struggling Al-Karkh, the latter whom have seen the latest managerial change. Abbas Attiya will take over after Essam Hamad’s resignation happened prior to the game due to financial problems and a series of losses. Abdulqadir Tariq got his name on the scoresheet twice for Talaba, but 1 point in two games will further them away from Zawraa and Naft near the top spot.

(Photo: الاخبار الانتقالات الدوري العراقي – Facebook)

Home teams combined score of 0 in dreadful week for Kuwaiti football – Kuwait

Week 1 – Kuwaiti League

6 home teams opened their week with 0 goals in the 13-team league of Kuwait. The likes of giants Qadsia, Kuwait SC and Al-Arabi scored a combined total of 10 goals between them. Aziz Mashaan scored a fantastic header to register his first and the league’s first goal of the season, while also grabbing an assist.

Only Al-Fahaheel and Al-Sahel came away with a point this week. Both teams were limited to poor chances and led to an overall, drab score of 0-0 at the end. The cruciate ligament has affected a rising star (Ahmad Al-Zanki) and one of the best Kuwaiti players (Saif Al-Hashan). Both are reported to be out of the season, with the latter seeing his dream move to Al-Shabab (KSA) end in quick fashion after only 2 months with the club.

Kuwaiti football in general was dealt a big blow by FIFA after failing to solve internal association problems that led to their suspension from all external football competitions such as the World Cup Qualifiers, Asian Cup Qualifiers and the AFC Cup. This has resulted in the temporary suspension of the Kuwaiti national team, however both representatives in the AFC Cup semi-final – Qadsia and Kuwait SC – have been eliminated from the tournament.

Aziz Mashaan tweeted: “No comment”, regarding the dire situation.

Super Cup win gives Al-Hidd bragging rights – Manama, Bahrain

Bahraini Super Cup

A mediocre attendance watched a relatively fair game between Al-Hidd (Bahrain King Cup winners) and Muharraq (VIVA Bahrain League Winners) that ended in a penalty shootout. It ended in a fairytale way for the Al-Hidd faithful, seeing recently drafted national team goalkeeper Abbas Ahmad save Efosa Francis’ penalty; only to score the winner after his save.

The game itself during open play didn’t see much action until the second half where substitutions were made to change the course of the game. Hamad Al-Dakhil grabbed what looked set to be a winner for Khaled Taj’s men, before late substitute Ali Haram ensured a penalty shootout for the Hiddawi fans and Salman Shareeda.

The penalty shootout ended in 7-6 for Al-Hidd, who then went on to mock Muharraq on social media claiming that Al-Hidd “are the first ever team to defeat Muharraq and score 7 goals in the process, twice, in a season” (referring to Al-Hidd’s 7-0 win in the Bahrain FA Cup during pre-season). Muharraq fans replied with their 10-0 win seasons ago, but they came out losers without a doubt. Swearing at your own players on the megaphone: not a good idea.

Taraji Wad Al-Nes grab their first win of the season – Al-Khadar, Palestine

Week 3 – Wataniya Pro League

Taraji Wad Al-Nes earned their first win of the season after defeating Shabab Al-Samu in an entertaining game at the Al-Khadar Stadium during the third week of the Wataniya Mobile Pro League.

With this win, Taraji raise their total to 3 points after two losses while Samu are stuck with a single point. The first 25 minutes saw a series of random chances created before Taraji started to settle into the proceedings and force a goal.

Veteran Khader Youssef waited until the 42^nd minute of the game to take advantage of the goalkeepers’ positioning and lobbed it ahead of him to announce the first goal of the game. It wasn’t long until Taraji scored again, with Jehad Saqr stealing the ball after a defensive mistake from the Samu defenders.

Samu didn’t back down that easy and attacked, aiming to lessen the deficit. With a brilliant piece of individual skill via Fadi Lafi, Samu were back in the game only 8 minutes later. The game increased in intensity.

After clear domination by Samu, they were able to equalise in the 68^th minute with thanks to Abdulla Al-Tabal. This happened after a good passing move between Kaware’ and Abu Ghuneima.

It was the veteran Khader Yousef again, this time with an assist. A ball through to Samih, who got the better of two defenders ensured 3 points for Ashraf Numan’s former club.

Team of the Week

Player of the Week

Omar Al-Somah: Al-Ahli Jeddah Hat-trick vs. Al-Nassr (KSA)