JEDDAH: “Great atmosphere, full house and people everywhere proud of their nation.” No one could have summed up Tuesday night at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium as well as Australia head coach Graham Arnold did following his side’s 1-0 defeat to Saudi Arabia in the final day of the Asian Qualifiers.
Indeed, more than 50,000 people partied into the early hours of the morning, singing along with Rabeh Saqr, Dalia Mubarak and Ayedh who performed songs for the Kingdom, for the national team and for the people as the Green Falcons squad danced their hearts off on the pitch, accompanied by their charismatic coach Herve Renard.
Fast forward 48 hours, the dust has settled, the party atmosphere in the streets of Jeddah has calmed and life is returning to normal as the players turn their attention to the small matters of the King’s Cup semifinals and the AFC Champions League, while those with no involvement in the two competitions prepare for a rare break as we approach the holy month of Ramadan and the Saudi Pro League pauses for a few weeks.
One man who will not be taking a break, however, is Renard. The 58-year-old sealed his place in the Saudi Arabian football records, becoming the foreign manager with most wins for the Green Falcons; the victory against the Socceroos his 18th with the team, one more than the previous record holder Gerard van der Lem.
The Frenchman revealed he will only be taking one day off before regrouping with the work group from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to chart the path to success in Qatar 2022 after finding out their group opponents in Friday’s draw. Regardless of the names he will face in eight months’ time, Renard wants to build on his personal legacy, having picked up two points in the Russia 2018 “Group of Death,” which saw his Morocco side compete against Portugal, Spain and Iran.
Renard expects the same from his players, whether they belong to the four Champions League sides (Al-Hilal, Al-Shabab, Al-Faisaly and Al-Taawoun), or from Al-Ittihad and Al-Feiha, who also compete in the King’s Cup semifinal next week.
“I hope that the players will continue their hard work as we expect a lot of challenges in the World Cup,” said Renard.
“There is good competition among the players, and we must be humble because we have a lot of work. We will prepare very well for the World Cup, and I hope that we will get a lot of support from the fans in the World Cup in Qatar later this year.”
Eight of the players used by Renard in the qualifiers campaign are under 23, meaning they are eligible to represent Saudi Arabia in the AFC U23 Asian Cup taking place in Uzbekistan in June. The Frenchman will see the competition as a useful platform for the youngsters to showcase their abilities ahead of crunch time when it comes to getting a seat on the flight to Doha.
Strikers Saleh Al-Shehri and Firas Al-Buraikan scored seven of the 12 goals the Green Falcons netted in the third round of the qualifiers, and Renard was quick to point out that statistic in the face of questions over the productivity of his frontmen, but it is the third of the Green Falcon’s three established center-forward who faces uncertain future.
A product of Al-Shabab youth system, Abdullah Al-Hamdan rose to prominence as a teenager, forming part of the 2018 AFC U19 Asian Cup-winning Saudi Arabia side alongside the likes of Al-Buraikan and Saud Abdulhameed. The forward was so highly rated that he was sent to Spain to train with La Liga side Sporting Gijon before returning to join the first team at Al-Shabab.
After a promising first half of the 2020-21 season, Al-Hamdan joined Al-Hilal in the January transfer window and has since seen his playing time drop to a 10th of what it once was. This term, he was limited to 10 substitute appearances, mostly late cameos totaling a meager 114 minutes. Former Manchester United forward Odion Ighalo, international teammate Al-Shehri and at times even winger Moussa Marega have all been preferred to Al-Hamdan in the number nine spot at Al-Hilal.
Renard had repeatedly voiced his concerns over Al-Hamdan’s lack of playing time, encouraging him to make a move to another Saudi Pro League side where he would get the opportunity to play more regularly.
The 22-year-old was insistent on staying put to win trophies and compete in international competitions, all of which he has already achieved by winning the league and AFC Champions League titles and playing at the FIFA Club World Cup. Now his decision in June and performances in Uzbekistan will be equally crucial to whether he stays in Renard’s plans for Qatar 2022.
Another puzzle for Renard to solve is that of his backline. Mohammed Al-Breik, Saud Abdulhameed and Sultan Al-Ghannam have all started at right back during the qualifiers, and with the former pair competing for one spot at club level too, the national team boss will feel he has a healthy selection headache in that position. On the contrary, Yasser Al-Shahrani remains the only bonafide option on the left side of defense, with the full-back starting 15 of the 18 games on the road to Qatar, racking up more minutes than any player in the squad, including goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais.
At the heart of defense, Renard has experimented with eight different players, with the pairing of Abdullah Madu and Hassan Tambakti, who produced a clean sheet against Australia, appearing together for the first time in the campaign. Madu and his club teammate Abdulelah Al-Amri made the most appearances with 10, alongside Al-Hilal’s Ali Al-Bulayhi.
In midfield, captain Salman Al-Faraj and his Al-Hilal midfield partner Mohammed Kanno seem locked to start in Renard’s three-man setup, with the third spot up for grabs. Sami Al-Najei, Hattan Bahebri and Abdulelah Al-Malki all possess different characteristics and have started alongside the aforementioned duo, but whoever gets the nod, Renard seemed to have established the roles and responsibilities of each, and the decision seems to be a tactical one in response to specific match requirements, rather than stemming from doubt in any of the players’ qualities.
Just over 200 days remain until the players assemble to travel to Qatar for Saudi Arabia’s sixth appearance at the FIFA World Cup, there is a sense of optimism in the air as the Green Falcons look to leverage the geographical advantage of being the only direct neighbor to the World Cup hosts, which could translate to thousands of fans driving across the border to cheer for the team, comfortable in the knowledge the nation’s hopes are in capable hands.