Angelo: Coaches' thoughts behind a positional change

The Al-Koloud team is witnessing a noticeable decline in performance and results, after losing the momentum that accompanied its start in the competitions of the current season of the Saudi Professional League. He started his career steadily, and succeeded in embarrassing a number of big clubs, before faltering in the last rounds, affected by a series of negative results that stopped his progress in the rankings.

Al-Khuloud had begun his career with remarkable results that reflected his ambitions and good preparation for the season, after imposing a positive 1-1 draw against Al-Ittihad in the opening round, then achieving an exciting victory over Al-Taawoun with a score of 3-2, before tying with Al-Diriyah with a goal for the same.

The team's strong performances continued by achieving a valuable victory over Al-Ahly by three goals to one, before drawing with Al-Fayhaa with a score of 2-2, then defeating Al-Shabab 2-1, to confirm its ability to compete with the big clubs and achieve positive results against them.

However, signs of decline began to appear before the break, when the team lost to Al-Riyadh by two goals to nothing, before its suffering worsened after the resumption of competitions, by suffering a heavy loss at home to Al-Qadisiyah by five goals without a response, in a result that raised questions about the team’s defensive system and its ability to regain its previous levels.

After these stumbles, Al-Khuloud settled in eighth place with 12 points, declining from the distinctive image it appeared in during the first rounds of the season.

In the wake of the heavy loss to Al-Qadisiyah, English coach Des Buckingham, Al-Khuloud’s coach, tried to explain the reasons for the stumble, pointing to the technical differences between the two teams, in addition to the absences that affected the back line.

Buckingham said during the press conference after the match: “We faced a distinguished team that succeeded in creating many chances, and we played the match in the absence of three players from the defense line.”

Speaking about the technical differences between the two teams, he added: “If we look at the names of the players on paper, we will find a big difference between the two teams. Al-Qadisiyah has international names, and it is one of the teams competing for the league title.”

The recent results put the Al-Khuloud administration and its technical staff facing increasing challenges to rearrange the cards and correct the course, especially after the defensive decline that appeared clearly against Al-Qadisiyah, and raised questions about the team’s ability to restore the balance that characterized its start.

Al-Koloud fans are looking forward to the return of the absent elements, led by Ramzi Solan, Petkus and Shaquille Benas, hoping that their return will contribute to strengthening the technical options and restoring balance to the back line, in addition to restoring the fighting spirit that distinguished the team during the first rounds.

Between the promising start and the recent setbacks, the most prominent challenge facing Buckingham and his players remains to overcome the effects of the heavy loss to Al-Qadisiyah, and to find technical solutions that will return the team to the path of positive results, and avoid further decline in the ranking table.

Islambek Ismailov, coach of the Uzbek team Neftchi, confirmed that facing Al-Nasr Saudi Arabia in the AFC Champions League for the Elite gave his team many technical lessons, stressing that the result of one match cannot determine the team’s future, in light of the continuation of the competitions and the presence of local and continental entitlements awaiting it during the coming period.

Ismailov said, during the press conference that followed the confrontation between Al-Nasr and Neftchi: “I thank our players for what they gave during the match. They gave everything they had and fought until the end. The team’s future cannot be judged by one match. We still have many matches ahead of us, and after three days a confrontation awaits us in the local league, and we must shift our focus to the upcoming matches.”

Neftchi's coach explained that the technical staff is keen to review the team's performance on an ongoing basis, regardless of the results of the matches, pointing out that the process of evaluating mistakes is not limited to the matches that the team loses, but even includes the matches during which it achieves victories.

He added: “We review our mistakes after each match, even when we achieve victory, and we deal with each confrontation according to its circumstances and the nature of the opponent, by studying the strengths and weaknesses and choosing the appropriate formation and tactical method that helps us provide the best possible level.”

Ismailov pointed out that a team the size of Al-Nasr represents an important opportunity to gain experience and develop performance, saying: “When you face big teams like Al-Nasr, you learn a lot of lessons, and we came away from this match with a number of observations that we need to work on and correct during the next stage. Football is full of surprises, and that is what makes it an exciting game.”

Speaking about the level of the new players and the extent of their harmony with the team, the Neftchi coach revealed the challenges that the technical staff faced in preparing a number of elements that were contracted specifically to participate in the Asian Championship.

He said: “The new contracts posed a big challenge for us. We attracted these players to participate in the AFC Champions League, and they were not able to play in the local league or cup matches, which affected their readiness, especially since some of them stayed away from the atmosphere of official matches for a period ranging between five and six months.”

Ismailov touched on the circumstances that some players went through, explaining that Michel suffered an injury in addition to problems with his former club, while Sassi and Marcos faced difficulties related to physical readiness and adaptation to the group.

He added, "Despite these circumstances, the players performed well and gave their all on the field. I am satisfied with the level of harmony they have reached with the rest of the team, and we look forward to their level improving further as they continue to participate in the matches."

The Neftchi coach concluded his speech by emphasizing the importance of benefiting from the Asian experience, working to address mistakes and raising the level of technical and physical readiness, in light of the pressure of matches and the multiple entitlements that await his team during the coming period.

Australian Ange Postecoglou, coach of the Al-Nasr team, confirmed that his team achieved an important victory against Neftchi in the AFC Champions League for the Elite, praising the fighting spirit and high professionalism shown by his players during the confrontation, despite the exceptional circumstances surrounding the match.

Postecoglou said, during the press conference that followed the confrontation: “We achieved an important victory, and the players showed high professionalism and gave a great performance despite the exceptional circumstances surrounding the match, and I am happy with what the team presented and the result we achieved.”

Al-Nasr coach explained that his team presented good levels during the last two matches, noting that the team performance and technical commitment are among the most prominent gains achieved by the technical staff, despite the injury suffered by the player Koeman.

He added: “We played two good matches, and the performance of all the players was outstanding. Unfortunately, Koeman suffered an injury, but I am happy with the performance and the result, and with the way the players dealt with the requirements of the match.”

Regarding the state of anxiety that appeared in him during the course of the match, Postecoglou explained that his great interest in the team and his concern for the players make tension a natural occurrence during the matches, especially in light of the constant desire to achieve the best results.

He said: “My interest in the team and the players made me feel anxious during the course of the match, but in the end I was happy with what the players gave and the performance the team showed.”

The Australian coach touched on the return of player Ayman to participate after a long period of absence due to injury, stressing that the technical staff is dealing with his return to matches with caution, with the aim of ensuring that his physical and technical readiness is gradually restored.

He added: “Ayman was absent for a long time due to injury, and today he participated for 60 minutes and gave an excellent performance, but it is important to bring him back to participate gradually until he regains his full readiness.”

In response to a question about Al-Nasr’s priorities during the current season, Postecoglou stressed that the club’s mentality is based on competition and achieving victories in all tournaments, stressing that the technical staff deals with each match as an independent priority, without early preoccupation with upcoming confrontations.

He said: “As Angelo said, we are victory and our goal is always to win.” Our priority is the next match, and we realize the difficulty of competing in the AFC Champions League for the elite, but our ambition is to win every match we play.”