Al-Akhdar: "Some things can be patched up, others cannot"
The failure of Al-Arabi to reach the group stage of the 2022 AFC Champions League, following their heavy 1-4 defeat to India’s East Bengal yesterday, reveals a single truth: the team’s technical flaws are numerous and cannot be confined to a single aspect. Rather, Al-Arabi suffers from multiple systemic issues, and the continued absence of appropriate solutions will have negative repercussions for the club, both in domestic and continental competitions. These issues are as follows:
• The approach adopted by the new Croatian coach Goran Sablić, who relied on the traditional 4-4-2 formation, depending on the wingers—Nigerian Iyawa and Youssef Majed—who exerted considerable effort in their runs. The team needs a playmaker or an advanced midfielder skilled in building attacks, preparing plays, and diversifying the offense.
• Playing with two forwards, Palestinian Zaid Qanbar and Ethiopian Keinan, is not always effective, as both share a similar style. Therefore, deploying a single forward alongside a more advanced midfielder would be more beneficial, as it would relieve pressure on the wingers.
• Fullbacks Abdulwahab Al-Awadi and Abdullah Ammar did not play an effective role, despite the opponents’ defensive weaknesses. The efforts of Iyawa and Youssef Majed were more impactful than theirs, whether in tracking back or making forward runs.
• There was an unjustified sense of confusion in the defensive line, which frequently wavered under opponent pressure, particularly from Senegalese player Rasoul Johar, who disrupted the line’s stability. The evidence lies in the four goals conceded, where his presence had a negative impact on dealing with aerial balls.
• The coach’s insistence on fielding Abdullah Ammar as left-back, despite the availability of three players proficient in that position—Aziz Nasri, Ali Abdulrasool, and Mohammed Khalid.
• The substitutions made by the coach, replacing Youssef Majed, Khalid Murshed, and Iyawa, created a technical gap in the squad, as these players were the most productive. Although fatigue may serve as an excuse, the substitutes failed to fulfill the required roles.
• Poor physical fitness was among the factors leading to the defeat, and the collapse in the second half of extra time is clear proof of this. This raises several questions about the nature of preparations during the training camp and how the team was physically conditioned for such a match, particularly given the weather conditions.
• The experience of several senior players was absent in crucial moments. It is inconceivable that a player would commit a mistake at a late stage, in his own half, leading directly to an equalizing goal. Furthermore, the central defenders, with Ethiopian Keinan dropping back to support, proved ineffective to the point that an opponent player headed the ball away from them.
• The performance of the foreign players in the match was mediocre, with the exception of Iyawa, who remains the core of Al-Arabi. This calls for a rapid review of their status to prevent further complications in the future.
• The team’s fighting spirit disappeared at the very moment it should have been strongest—the final minutes, when they needed to preserve their lead—as well as in extra time, which saw a goal-fest and defensive and goalkeeper errors by Sulaiman Abdulghafour.
