The real test will be against Italy, and then Germany (though both teams will play cautiously to avoid any injury in this match as it will be just before the official matches of FIFA world cup hence, you can expect a dull game). Saudi should play with 5 mid-field players backing 1 striker. This should be the best form specially in the opening couple of matches. If Saudi Arabia gets 4 points in the first 2 games and Egypt get 6 points then all will depend upon Egypt to make sure that Arab brother also qualify to the next round.
Does any one knows where is Abdul Aziz Dossary, Waleed Bakhshwain & Mustafa Bassas..They all seem to cement there places in NT for sometime but no where to be seen.
KSA vs Italy today.. Expecting a balanced game since Mancini mostly looking to test his players and tactics. Pizzi will be looking to solidify his starting XI. We can also see Fahad & Salem starting the match which will be interesting to watch . Did not see Abed training in any of the pics shared by Saudi FA on Social Media. So not expecting him to be on bench too. My Starting XI - Yasser Mosaliem Yasser Shahrani Omar Hawsawi Osama Hawsawi Saeed Muwallad Salman Faraj Abdullah Otayf Fahd Muwallad Yahya Sehri Salem Dawsari Sahlawi
Well now... Pizzi fields an experimental squad against Italy. Brave man indeed, with 3 weeks to go to the opening match!
You really think its him? Its Turki. Asiri over Sahlawi etc. Team has zero creativity. You would think at this point they'd start playing with their best players.
Jaseem really needs to not play. Al owais. Lol. They just need to start playing with their best players.
Al-Abed is in the bench at least. At this point, pizzi either has no clue or someone else is pulling the strings. This lineup is unacceptable.... Sahlawi Dawsari Healthy Abed Muwalad. And i swear even with space in the rught sharani still passess back.
Story of first half so far : Pass the ball around for some time coz u won’t get chance to come to Switzerland again and then give back to Italian players and then defend. Absolutely crap performance. Defenders need to learn to throw there body infront of ball instead of defending themselves where they stand. Omar Hawsawi as at mistake for the first goal
Asiri is garbage. He provides zero tactical value. Jassem is way too old and slow. You would think that a team thats severly disadvantaged in athletisicm would steer away from older player.
Decent second half thanks to some drunk defending from Italians. Fahd could have equalized . Atleast now Pizzi has to realize he needs fast players like Fahd and Salem to make the opponents run a bit .. Moataz needs to be in defense and Owais needs to be left home ..
Muwalad Dawsari Abed Sheri Faraj Otayf Wonder if we will ever see this lineup. Abed is probably done so hopefully he's replaced by a decent player.
Its always why Van Marwik used to play shalwai very often. He's not going to score but he essentially becomes a playmaker for muwalad and dawsari. Asiri is useless because hes your traditional 9. With the personel they have a traditional 9 is never going to work.
Saudi has Big Problem: Mohannad Assiri is Not Creative and lacks any Athleticism. Bahebri is better in Athleticism to say the least and should not be overlooked. Sahlawi is worst when it comes to pressure matches and do not attack on the goal as much needed from any striker. Bahebri is better in Athleticism to say the least and should not be overlooked. Taiseer, Yahya and Kanno are not creative at all and lack proper move creation ideas and do not pass the ball fast and are too slow. AlOwais is a garbage and should watch the world cup from home in Saudi. Osama Howsawi is too slow because of aging and does not pass the ball fast enough to mid-field for creating any movement. Omar Howsawi is as clumsy as a defender can be when it comes to set pieces like corner kicks and fouls / free-kicks, he simply doesn't concentrate on defending and just keeps ball or player watching. Good News for Saudi: Salem Al Dowsari is super fit (Masha Allah) and it seems that his stint in Spain is paying off. Fahd Al Muwalad is as dangerous as a striker should be though he is a winger and not a striker. Abdullah Otaif ball distribution is well though he need to do it fast then time wasting. Maghawi is a better attacking mid-field player and should be introduced after an hour or so since he creates chances. Al Harbi (No.2) is the best defender in Saudi team. Next Target: Saudi should play with proper starting XI, and should not experiment from now. Saudi should play the game like they played in the 2nd half against Italy. Saudi should aim to shoot on target from outside the penalty box if cannot penetrate defense. This was missing in the 1st half against Italy. Saudi should test the opposing team goal keeper from outside the penalty box just like Italy's Ballotali did in Italy's first goal against Saudi Arabia today where AlOwais miserably failed to stop the shot.
It was really funny watching owais the first 30 mins of the game lol. Abed would solve the creativity issues honestly. But Jaseems presence in the lockeroom is probably way too big that pizzi cant just sub him. Realisitcly he shouldnt be playing but considering the fact hes played 70+ mins in ever game so far...He's likely going to play. The only other solution is to play with sahlawi and play him as a creator.
Sahlawi hasnt been used as a striker for two years now. He's a false nine now that mostly feeds the runners. Watch his games he always has a dangerous pass or two under his pocket.
Sahlawi as a false 9 is not a goer for me. Against reasonable opposition he doesn't have the guile to find space and link up, nor is he physical enough to hold up the ball. Owais needs to go home. Yasser al-Shahrani MUST NOT play on the right.
Not many positive things to take out of that game. KSA stayed on the back foot for the most of the first round, and still continues to have when facing challenging opponent, low shot-attempt on goal. Nonetheless despite the result, these friendlies are useful in improving the teams performances at the WC where it counts the most.
I wonder why Nasser Al Shamrani lost the favour to be in the team. After all, Nasser is a creative striker and always has eye for a goal. It was his striker instincts that snatched a 2-2 draw for Saudi Arabia in the match against Australia, it was his shot that got converted into a goal on rebound in the match against Japan in Japan in FIFA World Cup 2018 qualifyer. Though Shamrani is not that tall as Mohannad Asiri, and doesn't head the ball to goal that much but i am sure he should have had been more effective than Mohannad Assiri or even Sahlawi since Shamrani is an experienced campaigner and is more lethal, deadly and creative upfront in pressure situation and in pressure games. In my opinion, Nasser Shamrani should have had been the solution for Saudi Arabia's striker problem. But, again, he lost favour in the run to the final build-up of the squad. Not sure if there's still time to bring him in the team OR probably bring him as replacement for Al Abid since it seems that Nawaf Al Abid is unfortunately not fit enough to make it to the World Cup with 100% fitness. What's the solution for Saudi Arabia's striker position if it's not Shamrani ?... Seriously, Mohannad Assiri was totally ineffective against Italy since he's not creative and was only waiting to head the ball towards goal (with his height advantage) but it never came and his presence was totally absent. Also, Sahlawi can partner with Shamrani upfront if played with 2 strikers since Mohannad sometimes becomes paralyzed and does not offer any creativity and movement upfront. What's the solution if not Shamrani ?...