SAUDI’S SELECTION WITH EYE ON WORLD CUP 2022
▶ Manager Pizzi to use youth in key areas in bid to repeat 1996 success in the UAE, writes Gary Meenaghan
For a coach whose contract ends the moment Saudi Arabia exit the Asian Cup this month, Juan Antonio Pizzi has selected his 23man squad with one eye firmly on the country’s future.
The Argentine was forced to perform spinal surgery to his first-team following the retirements of defender and captain Osama Hawsawi and veteran midfielder Taiser Al Jassem. And he had evidently lost faith in striker Mohammed Al Sahlawi and goalkeepers Yasser Al Mosailem and Abdullah Al Mayouf, all of who played at last summer’s World Cup.
Yet rather than combing the domestic Pro League in search of experienced replacements, Pizzi has dipped directly into Saudi’s development squads.
Saudi’s youth academies have done well recently. Their U19s won the age-group Asian Cup last November, their U20s reached the last-16 of the World Cup, and their U21s contested the quarter-finals of the Asian Games, despite it being an U23 tournament.
All did so playing with a recognisable style very similar to the preferred strategy of Pizzi.
While today’s Group E opener against North Korea has likely come too early for a quartet of youngsters selected to travel to the Emirates, there is little doubt inside the corridors of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation that these four represent the future. And if they get a chance this month they are ready and hungry.
Goalkeeper Mohammed Al Yami
The 21-year-old is on loan at Al Batin for the season after accepting opportunities at Al Ahli would be limited. While his loan spell did not get off to the best start, conceding five on his debut, he has grown in stature during his five appearances.
At the Asian Games, coach Saad Al Shehri said Al Yami was one of “only two or three” physically ready for the first team, adding he preferred him over two others because “while one is good in the air and the other good with his feet, Mohammed has a bit of each”.
He has yet to make his debut under Pizzi and unexpected to play in the UAE unless injury or suspension rules out both Mohammed Al Owais and Waleed Abdullah. The experience he gains from being involved in a major tournament however will set him in good stead for Qatar 2022, by which time Abdullah will be 36.
Defender Abdulelah Al Amri
Al Amri was playing on the streets only a couple of years ago. A composed centre-half who instills confidence in his backline, he matured quickly after being picked up by Al Nassr and led his country to the knockout stages of the U20 World Cup.
He is comfortable on the ball, strong in the air and happy to carry the ball out under pressure. Turning 22 later this month, Al Amri is quick and, with a strong upper body, was the only outfield player at the Asian Games who looked physically ready for the first team.
He made his domestic debut last season and has since made three starts on loan at Al Wahda. Although yet to earn his first cap under Pizzi, Al Shehri says the defender has “all the attributes and potential to be a major player for the national team for many years to come”.
Midfielder Abdulrahman Ghareeb
A wideman comfortable playing through the middle, Ghareeb also has an eye for goal, netting two penalties at the Asian Games and opening his senior account with the only goal in the friendly win over Yemen.
Slightly built, but quick and technically sound, the Ahli midfielder has made 10 league appearances since signing his first professional contract in September.
His performances have convinced Pizzi he can prove a
valuable member of the squad now and in the future, with the Argentine handing him five caps so far. The only one of the young quartet likely to get substantial minutes in the UAE, Ghareeb is expected to start on the bench against North Korea.
But do not be surprised if, searching for a goal and with only one natural striker in his squad, Pizzi turns to the 21-year-old.
Forward Ayman Al Khulaif
Al Khulaif is the young Saudi player that can get spectators out their seats.
A diminutive winger who can also play as a false nine, he is fast, clever and has two good feet. Styling his game on Eden Hazard, Al Khulaif can make things happen, as proven consistently at the Asian Games where he claimed more assists than any other Saudi.
Ruled out for seven months with a fractured fibula, he used the time to study the game and is now, according to Al Shehri, “better with the ball, has better movement off it, and has improved his passing too.”
For now, he appears too slight for this level, but coming off the bench against tiring opposition he could provide a threat. If he can bulk up without sacrificing his pace and trickery, he can be a key creative force during the World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign.
Juan Antonio Pizzi, much like the Saudi Arabia team he has instructed to pass the ball out from the back, is playing a risky game at this month’s Asian Cup.
The Argentine has selected only one recognised striker in his squad of 23, electing to leave precocious young forward Haroune Camara on the wrong side of the UAE border.
For a team that has scored only five times in six games since a World Cup campaign in which no team scored fewer goals, it appears an odd decision.
Yet, Pizzi’s inclusion of two of Camara’s Under 21 teammates suggests method to the apparent madness.
At last year’s Asian Games in Jakarta, Camara grabbed headlines when he netted a hat-trick for Saudi against a much-fancied China.
Yet, it masked the fact at times in the tournament the sinewy striker failed to shift the ball quickly enough and was routinely at fault as attacks broke down.
For Pizzi, a manager that adheres to the belief teamwork is tantamount, it was unacceptable. Pizzi often theorises that while goals are important, they are merely the consequence of quality and conjoined attacking play.
Resultantly, he instead called upon the two widemen deployed behind Camara: Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Ayman Al Khulaif.
Ghareeb scored twice at the Asian Games – both penalties – and has since made five appearances for the senior side, netting his first goal in the friendly win over Yemen.
Al Khulaif made his debut in the same match, replacing Salman Al Faraj for the final four minutes. He has not featured again since, but if Pizzi needs to unlock a defence, he has a player who revels in such tasks.
A rapid, direct winger with excellent close control, Al Khulaif likes to beat his marker and leave them lying on the grass in a heap. He can also shift inside and play as a false nine, an ability he has worked on by watching videos of his role model Eden Hazard.
“I see myself playing the same style as him,” Al Khulaif told The National.
“Of course, there is a big difference between me and Hazard, but I look up to him, watch him a lot on videos, and try to copy the way he plays.
“He is a player who gets fans excited and can create something from nothing.”
Al Khulaif’s rise has been as quick as one of his adventures down the right flank. Saudi’s standout player at the Asian Games, he was playing despite having just returned from a seven-month lay-off with a fractured fibula.
His U23 coach Saad Al Shehri described him as “playing with his heart”, but he also played with the hearts of opposition defenders, twisting their blood as he drove past them. He won the two penalties which Ghareeb converted.
Whether Al Khulaif will get an opportunity in the UAE remains to be seen, but for now he is just delighted to be involved. A place in the Asian Cup squad looked a distant dream just a few months ago, with Al Ahli planning to farm him out on loan for the season. His performances in Indonesia forced them to rethink.
“I was one of the players on the list that the club was thinking of loaning out when we finished participating with the national team,” he added.
“But when they watched the games at the tournament they changed their mind and I was told I would get my chance to play at Ahli. I am so thankful for this opportunity.”
The Ahli management have been true to their word, albeit a little slower than Al Khulaif would like.
He has made three substitute appearances this season, totalling 79 minutes.
Yet while his fitness has improved, he knows there are other aspects of his game that must get better too. “When you talk about improvement at this age, you have to improve every aspect,” he said.
“But we also can’t let it hold us back. For example, I know I need to work on my physicality as I’m a bit weak, but for now I can make up for it with what I have in my head. Not every player can do that.”
Pizzi might not have an orthodox answer to his striking problem, but in Al Khulaif he has a player who can create and contribute to a quality, conjoined attack. And the consequence of that is well known.
I’m a bit weak, but for now I can make up for it with what I have in my head. Not every player can do that AYMAN AL KHULAIF Saudi Arabia midfielder