From the heart of Al-Hilal: golden advice to reshuffle Al-Ahli's cards
Explosive statements from one of the legends of Asia's leading club
Saud Kariri, the former Al-Hilal and Saudi national team star, has sent an important message to Al-Ahli's management and players. The aim: to help the team overcome the difficult period it is going through after Tuesday evening's harsh 3-0 defeat to "the Leader" in the postponed match from the third round of the Roshn League.
Al-Ahli currently need to deal with their internal crises away from the pitch, Kariri believes, especially amid the criticism the club have faced recently. He stressed the need for each party to shoulder its responsibilities without allowing administrative problems to affect the players' focus and performance during matches.
Kariri told the "Thmanyah" network: "What is happening at Al-Ahli is certainly a sad matter, but the management must keep the players separate from what is happening, and the players too must focus on the pitch and forget all external matters".
What is happening inside the club should not be reflected in the players' behaviour during matches, the former Al-Hilal star insisted. The team needs a greater degree of commitment and focus, he explained, especially if they want to recover their results and compete for titles this season.
"It is not right for a player to head to the dressing room after being substituted, as this is a very bad thing," he added. "And as I said, the players must forget the administrative setbacks that occur in order to return to the right path and compete once again".
Pressure is mounting on Al-Ahli after a shaky start to the season. They lost to Al-Khaleej before falling to a clean sweep of three goals against Al-Hilal, and now they must react quickly to restore confidence and correct their course.
The solution does not start only with a technical change or new signings, Kariri believes. It begins with restoring focus and discipline inside the dressing room, along with the need to separate administrative decisions from what happens on the pitch.
His message carried a direct piece of advice to Al-Ahli. Administrative problems can be addressed off the pitch, but the team's success requires the players to set aside everything that is happening when they enter matches. Continued distraction could make the task of "the Refined One" of returning to the competition more difficult as the rounds go by.
