JEDDAH: Fans blamed the lack of team spirit for the shock 1-0 defeat of the Saudi national team against North Korea yesterday.
Also, the fans bemoaned the poor execution by the team that they said played not to win.
Mushabab Ziyad, a Saudi coach at the Ahli Soccer Academy, said Saudi Arabia was in control of the match in the first half but with no effective power. He said, “There was a clear sign that the Saudi defense line was disorganized. The Saudi team was slow in organizing an attack. Unlike the Saudi team, North Korea was very much organized and followed their game plan to the letter. It was obvious that they did not give the Saudis much room to maneuver. In the second half, we were much better but with no effective attack to the enemy goal. We reached their goal many times but we failed to convert. The striking line was questionable with Al-Qahtani leading the attack. I criticize the coach for not giving the chance to Naser Al-Shamrani to play alongside Al-Qahtani. In the next match, he should play from the start of the match.”
Sports pundit Khaled Al-Shunaif said the Saudi coach played smart only in the first minute of the match. “After the first goal, the Saudi coach should have introduced another striker because he has nothing to lose instead of waiting till the second half. He was late in making changes because if he had done it on time then the result would be different now.”
He said the chance is there but it is difficult. The Saudi team, he said, cannot afford to lose any other matches if it wants to qualify for the World Cup. “Points can be compensated. The second round of group matches will start soon and the first one will be against Iran in Iran and we need to pay more attention to that match because it will be very difficult.
Fahd Al-Heraifi, former national team player and sport analyst, said, “I am not making excuses for the Saudi team but the temperature was low and the weather was very cold. There were lapses in defense and the midfield was ineffective. I am, however, optimistic and sure that the Saudi team will improve and qualify for the fifth time.”
The fans had a different opinion. Ali Al-Ghamdi said the team needs an international coach with great abilities to lead the Saudi side to the World Cup.
“We were in desperate need for the points against North Korea and what I am not sure about is why was the coach playing defensive. In this match alone we saw many mistakes that could have been avoided.”
Ahmad Bakhushween said the team was not well prepared. “All the big names that played in the match did not show what was expected. North Korea was an easy team, how could we lose against them? Those responsible should be held accountable and the situation should be fixed soon,” he said.
