Five talking points from Roberto Mancini’s first games as Saudi Arabia head coach

13.09.2023 - 10:23 thenationalnews.com

A few weeks after his appointment as new Saudi Arabia head coach, Italian Roberto Mancini took to the dugout for his first matches, a double-header of friendlies against Costa Rica and South Korea.

The Green Falcons came out on the losing side in both fixtures, but Mancini will have learned valuable lessons as he looks to fast track the process of building a side that can go far at next year's Asian Cup in Qatar.

Over the past few years, the ball-playing goalkeeper has emerged as one of the biggest tactical shifts in modern football, influencing decisions on recruitment for major clubs as well as national team selection, see Manchester United's decision to sign Andre Onana to replace long-serving David de Gea.

This trend posed an early question of Mancini in his first matches in charge of the Green Falcons. In Nawaf Al Aqidi, Saudi Arabia possess a promising, modern goalkeeper, who despite being only 23, impressed at Al Nassr when called upon to start following an injury to Colombian veteran David Ospina last season.

Football UPS performer track Saudi Pro League 23/24 Head Coach FIVE as Roberto Mancini David De-Gea David Ospina Luis Castro Qatar Italy Colombia Saudi Arabia South Korea county Green Costa Rica county Park

The question before the game was ‘will he or won’t he’ but more important than whether Neymar would make his debut in Saudi Arabia on Saturday evening was Al-Hilal thrashing Al-Riyadh 6-1 to go back on top of the Saudi Pro League above champions Al-Ittihad in the most emphatic of styles. It is a case of so far so good for the 18-time champions who now have 16 points from the first six games. It was a regulation win but it was a bit more than that.

5 things we learned from Roberto Mancini’s start with Saudi national team

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia lost 1-0 to South Korea, following a 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica four days earlier. In Newcastle, a first-half header from Cho Gue-song proved to be the difference between the two Asian powerhouses.

Saudis make Tyneside a ‘home from home’ despite two losses at PIF-owned venue

And if anyone was in any doubt about the connection between the little square of land in the North East of England and Saudi Arabia, they can't help but be convinced after seeing the home of Newcastle United turn green for the week.

Riyadh Stars team win Saudi Arabia’s 1st Women’s Hockey Championship

RIYADH: Hockey team Riyadh Stars have won the Kingdom’s first Women’s Championship and received their award from Saudi Hockey Federation’s President Mohammed Al-Mandil on Monday. Al-Mandil handed the cup and gold medals to the winners of the tournament, which took place at the Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh from Sept. 10-11. Riyadh Najd took second place and collected silver medals, while the Jeddah Pearls team were third. Al-Mandil also crowned Najd Falcons winners of the Hockey Championship (men’s category), while the Arab Legends team came second and the British School third. Asmaa Al-Shami was the female tournament’s best goalkeeper while Kayra Ingerir won the award for top scorer.

International fencing delegation looks at Saudi Arabia’s readiness to host World Championship

RIYADH: A delegation representing the International Fencing Federation has arrived in Saudi Arabia to ascertain the Kingdom’s readiness to host the World Fencing Championship for Juniors and Youth in April. Headed by the IFF’s CEO Nathalie Rodriguez, along with her companions, and accompanied by Tunisian Ziad Al-Friyani, the competition director and head of the legal committee, the delegation is visiting the Kingdom to examine the preparations in Riyadh, which hosts the championship between April 12 and 20 next year. Ahmed Al-Sabban, the president of the Saudi Arabian Fencing Federation, and Abdullah Al-Sunidi, the federation’s executive director, are accompanying the delegation during the three-day visit, said a media statement. A meeting will be held on Wednesday with Al-Sabban to discuss hosting requirements and needs. The delegation on Tuesday visited the sports hall at King Saud University which is due to host the championship, and toured the premises and looked at transportation and technical requirements. The IFF’s General Assembly in November named Riyadh as host of the major global event.