Tactical talents: the Saudi coaches mixing it with RSL's best

Mohammed Al Abdali wasn’t about to miss his opportunity.

Al Taawoun’s caretaker manager, who stepped in in January following the dismissal of Rodolfo Arruabarrena, had just seen his side advance to the AFC Champions League Two quarter-finals after an epic penalty-shootout victory against Qatar’s Al Wakrah.

Post-game, Al Abdali flew the flag for domestic Saudi coaches who have traditionally found opportunities hard to come by in the Roshn Saudi League, where clubs often opt for expatriate managers.

In an impassioned speech, Al Abdali called for everyone – teams, fans and media – to support the local fraternity.

"The Saudi people are more than capable to achieve in all fields,” he said. “I saw a lot of media outlets showing no confidence in Saudi coaches over the past few days and their abilities.

“My message... is to have some confidence in Saudi coaches. I'm not talking about myself personally. Let's say Mohammed Al Abdali is a bad coach, but not all Saudi coaches are bad, so you have to place some confidence in them.

“In football, you could win a tough match today and lose another easier one tomorrow; it's just football." 

Pleasingly, it seems clubs are beginning to subscribe to that belief, with three RSL sides currently employing as manager Saudi head coaches. It ranks as the highest number in many years in the competition.

Al Ettifaq's impressive Al Shehri flying flag for Saudi coaches in RSL

Dammam-born manager replaced Steven Gerrard at club

Aside from Al Abdali at Al Taawoun, Al Ettifaq turned to Saad Al Shehri after they parted ways with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, while Damac have entrusted Khaled Al Atwi in their fight for survival.

It’s a welcome development and one that we will hopefully see more of - especially after the news last week that the Saudi Arabian Football Federation will mandate that clubs throughout the football pyramid must have at least one Saudi assistant coach moving forward.

Such an edict should provide bountiful opportunities to emerging coaches and unearth the next generation of tactical masterminds in the Kingdom, many of whom will hopefully step up into head-coach positions in the coming years. 

The most recent appointment of the RSL trio, Al Atwi, further strengthens the Saudi presence in top-flight dugouts. The highly rated tactician rose to prominence in 2018, when he masterminded Saudi Arabia's title triumph at the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup.

Al Atwi then spent a couple of stints on the East Coast, the highlight being named RSL Coach of the Month in December 2020 while at Ettifaq.

Before replacing Nuno Almeida at Damac at the end of March, his previous role was as Al Qadsiah's interim manager at the beginning of the 2022-23 First Division League.

In his three matches in charge of Damac, Al Atwi has guided his new side to four points, including a 3-1 victory last week at Al Kholood. On Tuesday, Damac host an Al Nassr team who know a win would take pull them to within two points of second in the table. 

While Al Atwi's Damac sample sheet is limited, the success so far of both Al Abdali and Al Shehri backs up the former’s claim that more belief should be placed in them.

Al Ettifaq were in dire straits when Al Shehri replaced Gerrard, edging ever closer to the relegation zone after a disastrous run of form saw them win only two of the Englishman's final 14 games in charge in all competitions.

Then languishing 12th, Al Shehri has overseen a reversal in fortunes, losing two of his first 11 RSL games as Al Ettifaq have charged back up into seventh.

The run has included notable victories against Al Nassr and Al Shabab, while in the past few weeks Al Ettifaq have also taken points off Al Hilal and Al Qadsiah – all teams in the current top six.

At Al Taawoun, meanwhile, Al Abdali guided the club to the brink of the AFC Champions League Two final; they fell short in heartbreaking fashion in the final four, conceding twice in stoppage-time in the second leg at UAE side Sharjah to exit 2-1 on aggregate.

Domestically, Al Abdali has stabilised Al Taawoun’s RSL form with three wins and a draw in their past five matches to elevate them to eighth in the standings - and hot on the heels of Al Ettifaq.

Having trumpeted Saudi coaches so fervently in front of the Kingdom’s media, Al Abdali is also flying the flag on the pitch - or the touchline, at least - along with Al Shehri and Al Atwi.

The trio have had to work hard for their opportunity at this level and, now given it, they are grasping it with both hands. They are concrete proof that, not only can Saudi Arabians play football at an elite level, but they can coach it, too.

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