The future of Frenchman Hervé Renard with the Saudi national team will be the subject of a calm assessment during the next stage, as part of a technical review aimed at diagnosing the reasons for exit from the semi-finals of the Arab Cup, and reaching a carefully considered decision, away from emotional reactions, following the loss that Al-Akhdar received on Monday evening at Al-Bayt Stadium in Doha.
Once again, dreams evaporated, and the Saudi national team wrote a new chapter in its journey away from tournaments, after it exited the Arab Cup competitions in the semi-finals of the tournament following its loss to its Jordanian counterpart, repeating in less than a year its farewell to a tournament in the same round after losing last December (December) to Oman in the semi-finals of the Gulf Cup held in Kuwait.Joy has pleasure, ecstasy and high morale that accompanies and reflects on the fans. Brokenness and loss have sadness and consequences that may accompany and remain for many years. This is what has been haunting the Saudi national team for several years, and this was present after the final whistle on the Saudi fans who attended the stadium or even on social media platforms.The Saudi national team was among the teams nominated for the title, making a distinguished start and being the first to qualify for the quarter-finals, even after losing to the Moroccan national team at the end of the group stage, the justifications were strongly present, because the Saudi national team played with a list that was not the main one and was the best in terms of performance.
The Saudi national team raised the alarm bell about its level after advancing to the semi-finals of the tournament, after it was forced to play 120 minutes against the Palestinian national team before preparing a fatal goal from Mohammed Kano that led the Greens to face Jordan. After Yazan Al-Naimat, the Jordanian national team striker and top scorer, left injured and it was confirmed that he would be absent from the match against the Greens, the positive atmosphere and optimism returned to the Saudi national team to overcome this match
The consequences of the Saudi national team's loss to Jordan will not stop at the tournament only, but negative feelings from the fans will remain present towards a number of players in the upcoming events, although the expected date is in about seven months from now, as the 2026 World Cup in America.Renard... Frequent errors and late correctionMistakes were repeated by Frenchman Hervé Renard, coach of the Saudi national team, in the starting lineup for recent matches, and the correction comes late, which may not achieve success every time, as happened with the course of the confrontation with Jordan.In the matches played by the national team in this tournament, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat started mainly, then Renard included him in the second half as a substitute, in search of strengthening offensive options.
Coach Renard was asked about his start each time with a list that he corrected in the second half, and he said: «In this match, we aimed for possession, focus, and quality performance». Abu Al-Shamat was not the only name to be a first choice in Renard's substitutions, as Musab Al-Juwair was also present, making a difference every time he participated, but he remained on the bench twice and participated as a starter twice.Saudi Arabia reaches the highest percentage of possession despite the loss. Despite the Greens' loss in the match against Jordan and their exit from the semi-finals of the Arab Cup, the Saudi team performed well in the match, and the numbers and performance indicators gave the Greens superiority in many parts of the game, but they clearly lacked the final touch, especially since the penultimate touch was present after the participation of Musab Al-Juwair, who gave many solutions to the team of Herve Renard, the coach of the Saudi team.
Statistics «Suva Score» indicated that Al-Akhdar succeeded in reaching and threatening Yazid Abu Laila's goal on many occasions, which gave him the stardom of the confrontation, as Al-Akhdar players shot at the Jordanian goal 8 times, two of which were extremely dangerous, and wasted many opportunities.In terms of possession of the ball, the Saudi team reached 69 percent, the highest possession rate in the tournament from the Saudi side, exceeding all possession rates in previous matches. This is somewhat understandable, given that Jamal Al-Salami, the coach of the Jordanian national team, chose a defensive approach. However, this does not negate the Greens' control over many parts of the match.The Green Falcons' possession percentage in this round was high, as they had the highest percentage in each match, and the lowest percentage was against Morocco at 60 percent, while the match against Jordan was the highest.Saleh Al-Shehri... Big declineSaleh Al-Shehri, the card that Renard bet on on many occasions, was not successful when he participated as a replacement for the main striker...
At the level of his club, Al-Ittihad, Saleh Al-Shehri showed a significant decline physically and scoring this season compared to last season, which contributed to his limited participation, and this affected the minutes he got with the national team.Absence of players in the press interview areaThe players did not make any statement after the end of the match, as the protocol established by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) stipulates that three players must attend the press permit area after the match.The players adhered to the protocol, namely Abdul Rahman Al-Sanbi, the first reserve goalkeeper, Raghad Al-Najjar, the third reserve, and Murad Hawsawi, who did not participate in the confrontation. These choices appeared to be a commitment to protocol without an actual response from the players to the media, which tried to obtain talks, but the players preferred to continue walking without any talk.Renard... Will he continue the journey?The widely circulated question since the final whistle of the match remains: Will Frenchman Hervé Renard continue his career with the Saudi national team?The answer indicates...
At the level of his club, Al-Ittihad, Saleh Al-Shehri showed a significant decline physically and scoring this season compared to last season, which contributed to his limited participation, and this affected the minutes he got with the national team.Absence of players in the press interview areaThe players did not make any statement after the end of the match, as the protocol established by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) stipulates that three players must attend the press permit area after the match.The players adhered to the protocol, namely Abdul Rahman Al-Sanbi, the first reserve goalkeeper, Raghad Al-Najjar, the third reserve, and Murad Hawsawi, who did not participate in the confrontation. These choices appeared to be a commitment to protocol without an actual response from the players to the media, which tried to obtain talks, but the players preferred to continue walking without any talk.Renard... Will he continue the journey?The widely circulated question since the final whistle of the match remains: Will Frenchman Hervé Renard continue his career with the Saudi national team?The answer indicates...
