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Wild celebrations, viral half-time speeches, a national holiday; few will have predicted the outpouring of emotion that greeted Saudi Arabia’s victory over Argentina on Tuesday.
Yet, one of those people who did may well have been Monsieur Herve Renard.
It’s difficult to imagine how Saudi Arabia would have performed against Argentina on Tuesday if it wasn’t for their French coach’s tactical setup that nullified, frustrated and then pounced on the South American champions, masterminding one of the greatest upsets in World Cup history.
In terms of previous shocks, however, this one was thoroughly deserved. There’s no doubt that Saudi Arabia rode their luck in the first half; beneficiaries of a number of the often-derided VAR offside calls, yet as a team the unity in approach was what carried them through to the second period, where they started to execute their game plan.
The tenacity of Abdullah Al-Malki, creativeness of Nawaf Al-Abed and Mohammed Kanno, the tireless running of makeshift right winger Firas Al-Buraikan, and not to mention the clinical finishing from Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari. This wasn’t merely a case of hanging on by their fingernails and hitting on the counter, this was built on an accomplished attacking display.
The real question now is how they react.
Expectations were on the floor ahead of the clash with Argentina, with real fears that this side could implode against such high-quality opposition. Yet, not even a week has passed and Saudi Arabia have become every neutral’s second favourite team heading into match day two; a stark contrast to the unknown and widely written off entity they were presented as prior to the tournament.
Heading into Poland then, the assumption was that this was where Saudi’s tournament would begin to get competitive. Now, however, they sit top of the group, with a two-point cushion over their opponents, following Poland’s opening day draw with Mexico. It’s maybe a tad optimistic to suggest the Green Falcons head into this one as favourites, however they are the one in possession.
Pressure and expectations externally may have risen a notch, however under Renard, expect another well thought out and considered game plan. With Poland the side with something to chase, it’s highly likely that a similar start to that faced against Argentina will be heading Saudi Arabia’s way at Education City Stadium on Saturday.
Whether they can resemble the strong core and consistent defensive shape is yet to be seen. Injury, fatigue and concern over discipline (Saudi Arabia racked up five yellow cards against Argentina) may start to feed in.
We already know left back Yasser Al-Shahrani is out following his horror head injury in the dying moments of the match against Argentina. There seems moderate concern for Salman Al-Faraj also, who hasn’t trained with the team since as he recovers from another injury set back, this time with his knee.
In their absence, Al-Hilal teammate Mohammed Al-Breik is a like-for-like replacement for Al-Shahrani but replacing Al-Faraj is another question altogether.
Against Argentina, Renard trusted Al-Abed, who’s capable of filling in the gaps, but lacks mobility. Alternatively, Sami Al-Najei is a powerful, positive force if Renard seeks extra support for Al-Shehri and Al-Buraikan in attack. Unlike others, Saudi Arabia do have options, if not at the same quality as their star players.
In qualification, Saudi Arabia regularly thrived in defending an advantage. Both in their earlier efforts against Uzbekistan, but later on against Japan and Australia. Poland, and the possible thoughts of progression to the Round of 16, are at another level entirely, however. How Renard plays his cards will ultimately show what we can expect from the rest of the tournament from the Green Falcons.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
HASSAN TAMBAKTI – The colossal 23-year-old centre back was arguably the Saudi’s man of the match against Argentina, aside from the heroics of Mohammed Al-Owais behind him. It was a coming-of-age moment that we’ve been expecting for some time following his development through the youth ranks of international football, which included an MVP worthy performance at the U23 Asian Cup two years ago and his performances earlier this year in the AFC Champions League.
Tambkati has all the hallmarks of a modern-day central defender and will thrive in another opportunity to put his name in lights as he takes on Poland’s Robert Lewandowski.
FIRAS AL-BURAIKAN – The surprise performer against Argentina, thriving in an all-action right-wing role to supplement Saleh Al-Shehri in the Saudi attack. Rarely noted for his tenacity, Al-Buraikan was able to contribute at both ends of the pitch, but his attacking forays were the most devastating, especially on the break, which will likely be the case again against Poland.
SALEM AL-DAWSARI – Saudi’s star man for the big occasion stepped up when his side needed him with the wonderous winner against Argentina. In a team that competed and pressed so well throughout, Al-Dawsari’s nous to find space and threaten in possession is going to be more essential against Poland if Al-Faraj is indeed side-lined with injury.
WHAT THEY SAID
Herve Renard – Saudi Arabia coach
“The only good thing at the end of this group stage is to finish number one or number two, so whatever happens the most important is to qualify for the next round,” he said.
“Nothing changed, we are still the lowest team in this group in terms of FIFA ranking, in terms of experience at the time I’m talking to you.
“Nothing has changed in our mind, nothing has changed about the favourite of this World Cup. We know where we come from, we keep our humility. If we lose our humility we won’t be able to play a very good game tomorrow.
“We know them perfectly,” he said. “We’ve seen a lot of video. We’ve had three video sessions for Poland, like we did with Argentina. We always consider all our opponents in the same way, if it was the same for Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Oman.
“We respect all the teams. They all have strengths and weaknesses and we have to give all the keys to the players. We have to prepare them so they know the opponents as best as possible.”
Saleh Al-Shehri – Saudi Arabia striker
“It’s obvious that gave us some confidence to go into the last two games but we haven’t qualified yet we still have two more games to go.
“I think sometimes if you underestimate any team sometimes you cannot go back and prove yourself. I think if anyone underestimated anyone else that’s a problem for them. We have confidence in ourselves. Even if they look at us in a different way that’s their issue. We believe in ourselves. I think we can pull this off and qualify for the next round.”
PREDICTIONS
Scott McIntyre
Poland 1-2 Saudi Arabia
Michael Church
Poland 1-1 Saudi Arabia
Paul Williams
Poland 1-1 Saudi Arabia
Martin Lowe
Poland 1-1 Saudi Arabia
Photo: twitter/SaudiNT
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