Crises that never stop: a major storm hits Saudi Arabia before the Gulf Cup
What awaits Georgios Donis' men?
Saudi Arabia did not begin their preparations for the Gulf Cup "Gulf 27" from scratch. They enter the tournament instead with a set of files that demand quick solutions from Georgios Donis, after recent weeks exposed technical problems too glaring to ignore. Then came the exclusion of Musab Al-Juwayr for disciplinary reasons, adding a fresh crisis to the coach's calculations.
Donis is preparing to lead Saudi Arabia on home soil amid major changes to the squad compared to the side that featured at the 2026 World Cup. That makes the task more complicated still, especially with Saudi Arabia drawn in a group alongside Kuwait, Oman and Iraq.
As the coach hunts for the right combination, three main crises stand out that could impose themselves from the very first match. They begin with the back line, run through midfield, and reach the attacking problem that surfaced during the recent World Cup campaign.
Defensive crisis: the same mistakes have not disappeared
The back line needs Donis' intervention more urgently than almost anything else. Saudi Arabia struggled at the last World Cup with clear problems in defensive organisation. Spaces opened up in front of opponents, and the team wrestled with crosses and movement inside the penalty area.
None of this came down purely to the abilities of the defenders. It was about the way the whole line moved, the distances between its parts, and how the team dealt with transitions once it lost the ball. Against Gulf sides that thrive on exploiting spaces and playing directly, those details turn even more dangerous.
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Given the changes Donis has made to the squad, the coach must now build a more cohesive defensive system rather than lean on individual solutions. Any flaw in positioning could bring back the same problems that plagued Saudi Arabia at their last global appearance.
Al-Juwayr departs: so who links the midfield?
The second crisis arrived out of nowhere. Donis lost Musab Al-Juwayr from the camp for disciplinary reasons, then called up Mukhtar Ali in his place. The decision may be settled administratively, but its technical impact demands different calculations, because the two players do not offer the same role.
Al-Juwayr gave the team something important in midfield. He could control the rhythm, drop back to receive the ball, then advance as an attacking midfielder or transform into a playmaker. Replacing that with a single player in the squad is difficult.
Mukhtar Ali brings different characteristics altogether. Donis cannot simply drop him into Al-Juwayr's position and expect the same roles. Instead, he will have to share the job of linking and creating play between more than one player, so the team keeps its ability to move in an organised way from midfield to attack.
The attacking dilemma: who creates the threat?
Third comes the problem in the attacking third. This one surfaced at the World Cup too, when Saudi Arabia struggled to create continuous threat and reach opponents' goals often enough, particularly when the spaces to rely on transitions never appeared.
More varied solutions in the final third are essential. Relying on individual attempts or waiting for spaces behind the opponent's defence will not be enough against teams that may sit deep and pack their defensive block.
Al-Juwayr's absence stings all the more here. The attacking problem does not always start with the forwards. It starts with the quality of the ball that reaches them, and with the midfield's ability to change the speed of play, thread passes between the lines and open up the right space.
Donis, then, faces a task that goes far beyond picking a starting line-up. He must reorganise a defence that leaked spaces, replace Al-Juwayr's grip on the rhythm, and find sharper attacking solutions. Solve those files quickly and Saudi Arabia could enter "Gulf 27" looking a different team. Leave the problems as they are and the tournament could become an early, brutal test for the Greek coach.
