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180 minutes after a stunning win over Argentina to open the World Cup it’s still hard to comprehend how Saudi Arabia managed to then lose their next two matches against Poland and Mexico to crash out of the tournament.
Certainly a string of injuries and suspensions hurt them as Salman Al-Faraj, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Mohammed Al-Burayk, Hassan Al-Tambakti and Abdulellah Al-Malki were sidelined for some or most of what was ultimately a disappointing group stage exit.
The one memory that Saudi fans will hold with them is that upset victory over Argentina that, a week later, still saw chants of ‘where is Messi?’ from the massed ranks of green supporters both before and after their defeat to Mexico.
Like a well-told joke that still receives applause it’s a cry that’s likely to live well into the future and the hope is that this generation of players may still have their core intact in three and a half years’ time in North America.
The impressive Al-Tambakti, the versatile Saud Abdulhamid, Al-Malki, Mohamed Kanno and Firas Al-Buraikan will surely all still be there whilst others too may survive and if a sprinkling of their promising youngsters grow and develop then Saudi Arabia should be well positioned to improve on this early departure.
Whether or not the highly respected coach Herve Renard is still at the helm is a question with a far murkier answer.
After the bright way that the Saudis played here in Qatar you’d imagine that the list of suitors will be lengthy and if they are forced to move on then the decision over who leads the next era is one of vital importance for the SAFF.
As disappointing as their early departure and a performance curve that started so high but gradually dipped lower and lower was, it was the mentality that they approached games with that should be a barometer of how to approach things on the global stage.
Technically the side has some fine yong players and with some promising youngsters coming through the successful youth teams the key thing now for the SAFF is to stick the course.
They’ve shown they can compete – and defeat – the best in the world on occasion and that’s a result of the development work, both technically and tactically, that’s been taking place for the past decade.
The key now is to turn occasional success into regular success and sticking with the path that earned them so many plaudits here in Qatar seems the most sensible course to achieve that.
WHAT WE LEARNED
The lengthy toll of absences finally told: Missing a core of key players heading into the match things got worse as more injuries struck and so hectic did things become that rightback Saud Abdulhamid was forced to start as a central midfielder before then switching to cover at left fullback – in the end that absence of some genuine gamechangers really hurt the Saudis.
Embed from Getty ImagesDisappointingly flat showing: Given those absences and the crush of three matches in barely a week, the Saudis turned in their flattest performance of the tournament after such bright displays against both Argentina and Mexico. Still the mentality was positive but the stamina and control that were hallmarks of the opening matches were absent at the Lusail Stadium.
Fans drove the team on: As vibrant as much of their football was that wasn’t even half a match for the noise, colour and sheer passion of the tens of thousands of supporters that flooded Qatar to back their nation. Knowledgeable, passionate and with a clear vigour and belief the throngs of Saudi fans were a tournament highlight and a clear reminder to those who questioned such things before and during the tournament that, yes, there is a vibrant football culture across the region.
WHAT THEY SAID
Herve Renard – Saudi Arabia coach
“Afterwards, I said to them, ‘congratulations for your World Cup, but we didn’t deserve to win the game’.
“We won’t forget what we did together at this World Cup. This was more difficult for us, but I will always protect them and I’m proud of their World Cup.
“The World Cup standard is always high and in our group we had three very good teams. In Saudi Arabian history we have only once reached the knockout stages and that was a long time ago, back in 1994.
“We were dreaming of doing it again, but the way we played here we didn’t deserve to do that.”
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
This is the key question – with an Asian Cup barely twelve months away and an ambitious bid to host the following edition, confirming what happens with the coaching situation is of paramount importance.
A while ago it may have been but Saudi Arabia are the reigning AFC U20 champions and also the holders of the AFC U23 title and are blessed with a promising crop of young talents that should be the basis of a period of sustained success should they continue on the same path.
Photo: twitter/SaudiNT
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