Rodgers after the six-goal haul: We are not robots, and we have put Al-Qadsiah on the Roshen map
Leaders left exhausted
Six goals without reply. Al-Qadsiah didn't just beat Al-Riyadh in round 12 of the Roshn League, they sent a resounding message from Northern Irish coach Brendan Rodgers to every big club in the Saudi game.
Rodgers fronted up at the press conference after Thursday evening's 6-0 rout, lifting the lid on his team's frightening transformation between the halves and dropping a surprise about the toll of a merciless fixture schedule.
The secret of the transformation: bringing the lines closer
Rodgers praised his players' performance, saying: "The result and the performance were excellent, and I liked what Al-Riyadh produced in the first half. They changed the system and the plan, and their coach did a great job."
Two goals up at the break, his side still needed more, and Rodgers tackled it in the dressing room. "We talked about the need to bring the lines closer and improve positioning," he said. That simple tweak made all the difference. The counter-pressing sharpened in the second half, the possession grew, and the real quality shone through as his players turned faster and more direct.
Al-Jaber and Sanjari: rewarding the hard workers
The coach also saved warm words for the youngsters who featured. "I'm happy to have given minutes to players who haven't appeared much," he said, visibly delighted. "Al-Jaber played and was comfortable, and Sanjari scored, and both of them work hard, and I was pleased that they took this opportunity."
Six straight wins in Riyadh since he arrived last December, and the figure caught him off guard. "I didn't know we had achieved six consecutive wins. I like the city of Riyadh, and we want to play here and produce excellent football."
Ambition laced his next words. "We're trying to put Al-Qadsiah on the map of Saudi football, and when you come to Riyadh to face big clubs, and you win the matches and deliver a great performance, that makes me extremely happy."
We are not robots: a statement that shakes Roshn
Top of the table and winning for fun, yet Rodgers still fired a warning about his team's physical battle. Al-Qadsiah, he revealed, have the fewest recovery days of any big club.
"This makes a big physical difference, especially when you play on Friday then Monday then Thursday," he said, flagging the high humidity in Al-Khobar that drains his players' energy.
One line summed up the phase. "The players are not robots, but human beings who feel fatigue, and what they have produced physically since the start of the season is fantastic."
Better is coming, he reckons, once the weather cools and the injured players return. Rodgers voiced his full satisfaction with the team's results in the AFC Champions League Elite and their current standing in the Roshn League, insisting the best is yet to come.
