Saudi Arabia head coach Herve Renard has told his underperforming players that it is “time to wake up” and labelled his side as “average” after losing their opening match at the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup to Bahrain.
Renard has recently returned to the post after a disappointing run of World Cup qualifying results which led to the sacking of Roberto Mancini, and the latest 3-2 defeat brought more criticism to the players, with some believing they are more concerned with their club than country.
The experienced tactician accepted responsibility following Saturday’s defeat, and conceded that he has a lot of work to do if Saudi are to qualify for the semi-finals, starting with tonight’s match with Yemen at the Jaber Al-Mubarak International Stadium.
“The first round is three games, and the most important is to be in the first or second position at the end of them,” said Renard, who addressed the club v country claim. “In the national team you are not playing with eight foreign players like at the club. You are playing for Saudi Arabia, the country, and since a few months we are not ourselves. It is time to wake up. Time to look at the mirror.
“Maybe we are thinking we are very beautiful and very fantastic players but we are not currently. We are only an average team. So, all of us, we have to look at the situation and to do what we have to do. Starting with defending very well is most important.”
The Saudi Arabia fans are again expected to travel in large numbers to Kuwait for the second match, despite the criticism at home about recent performances, and Renard had a strong message for them.
“We must never give up,” he said. “We are still two games to reach the semi-final. This is our goal and we’ll think about the World Cup qualifiers later. At the moment we still have two chances and I can understand the disappointment from fans. It is normal when you lose. But they need to know I am doing my best to put this team in the right way. Not easy but this is football.
“We are not at the level that people are expecting and I have confidence in the players to change things. In 2019, we lost the first game and reached the final so football is like this. Not one team here is above everybody. We still have the chance to win this. Football can change quickly.”
Meanwhile, Yemen’s coach Noureddine Ould Ali has warned that teams at the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup should be writing off giants Saudi Arabia at their peril. But says his team will be out to upset the football heavyweights.
Yemen lost 1-0 to Iraq in their opening Group B game, meaning that Wednesday’s crucial night encounter is a must-win for both sides in their bid to qualify to be among the top two in the group.
“Beware of the wounded beast,” said Noureddine Ould Ali while speaking to the media on Tuesday. “Saudi Arabia are a very respected team but are passing through some hard circumstances currently. Like us, they lost in the first round so have a very difficult mission, but, like Iraq, they are a strong team with some excellent players, particularly in midfield and attack. I know there are negatives, but I am not going to discuss them.”
The head coach said he was proud of his players following the opening match, believing they did enough to gain a point.
The defeat leaves Yemen without a single Arabian Gulf Cup win after 34 matches, but the head coach believes history can be made here in Kuwait. “I am not going to blame my current players for the history of past results. Of course, we go into every match wanting to win. This generation has the talent to win and we will keep working together to try. I am confident in my players and hope the Yemen supporters will continue to support the team, particularly with all the problems at home with the league stopping,” he said.
Saudi-Yemen match is the first of two on the night, and kicks off at 5.25pm, with the second being between Bahrain and Iraq kicking off at 8.30pm.