SAUDI ARABIA EXTEND PIZZI’S DEAL UNTIL END OF ASIAN CUP
▶ Argentine rewarded despite elimination from the World Cup and will lead the team at the continental tournament taking place in the UAE in January, writes John McAuley
Saudi Arabia have extended manager Juan Antonio Pizzi’s contract until the end of the Asian Cup in February next year, the FA said yesterday, a day after the Gulf nation claimed a surprise victory over Egypt in their last World Cup game.
There had been speculation that Pizzi, who took charge of the team only in November, could be on his way out following the team’s 5-0 defeat in the opener to hosts Russia, with his contract expiring at the end of the tournament. The Argentine, 50, said in the aftermath of Monday’s win that he expected to learn his fate “over the next few days”.
Saudi Arabia were taking part in a first global finals since 2006 and got their campaign off to a poor start.
The Gulf state showed a marked improvement in subsequent Group A matches, losing narrowly to Uruguay before signing off with the victory against Egypt to finish third. It was Saudi’s first World Cup win in 24 years.
“The Saudi Arabian Football Federation extends the Saudi national team manager Juan Pizzi’s contract until the end of the Asian Cup tournament,” the Saudi FA said on Twitter.
The team’s next focus will be the Asian Cup, which takes place in the UAE in January.
Saudi are three-time continental champions, although have not won the event in their past five attempts. Last time out, in 2015, they did not make it out of their group.
Asked after the Egypt victory if he will continue with the Saudi side through to the Asian Cup, Pizzi said: “We’ll see what happens.”
Pizzi is Saudi Arabia’s third manager since they sealed a World Cup berth last September, following on from Bert van Marwjik and then Edgardo Bauza.
The Argentine, who guided Chile to success at the 2016 Copa America, knows there is no quick solution – at 67th in Fifa world standings Saudi were the second-lowest ranked side in Russia – but feels his team are on the right path.
“We need to keep working. We need to be patient,” Pizzi said. “We need to support the team and we need your support. Nothing can be achieved from one day to another. Everything needs time. And every single process needs learning, needs failures and victories. That’s normal.
“So we need patience, but of course always hoping for improvement and development. Today I would like for the Saudi people to be very happy for the game and I hope they will enjoy our victory.”
Pizzi put Saudi’s failure to progress from the group down primarily to the match against Russia, when they were so beaten badly by the home side that they did not register a shot on target. It was an incredibly disappointing result, especially given Saudi were the first Asian representative to be involved in a World Cup curtain-raiser.
“First of all, I must say that we were not expecting the game we saw against Russia,” Pizzi said. “We had different expectations, to be honest.
“There were certain factors we believed we could control. We thought we would be able to adapt without any problems. We were taken by surprise. But I won’t say we had bad luck.
“On the contrary, for us that game was very important. And we said that after the draw: it’s always a privilege to play the first game of a World Cup. Unfortunately things didn’t go as we planned and we weren’t able to react to adversity during the match.
“What we do is try to make the players feel comfortable. I want them to enjoy. I want them to play freely.
“And we do know that we have certain weaknesses. We know that certain areas are less strong than others.
“But we like what we’re suggesting and we’re very happy. We’re very happy to see they’re executing our plan.”
We had different expectations. We thought we would be able to adapt. We were taken by surprise. But I won’t say we had bad luck JUAN ANTONIO PIZZI