With the Saudi Professional League put on pause for the international break, now is an apt time to assess early impact of the summer\u2019s transfer additions.
\nThe Kingdom\u2019s finest had less than six weeks to shift focus from the previous campaign, because of coronavirus\u2019 effect on the calendar. This placed extra pressures on recruitment.
\nIt is, of course, early days for 2020\/21 and much could change in the coming months. But there have been notable successes and failures witnessed throughout the first four match-weeks.
\nWith the help of Wyscout and SofaScore, we\u2019ve picked them out:
\nHITS
\nEver Banega (Al Shabab)
\nEver Banega (c) celebrates his winner against Al Nassr (EPA).
\nReputation, alone, is not a guarantor when superstars make the switch from Europe to Asia.
\nArgentina metronome Banega has, however, been an unqualified hit in Shabab colours.
\nLast term\u2019s distant seventh-placed finishers now find themselves second, locked on 10 points with leaders Al Hilal. The gap between them last season stretched to 29 points.
\nA 97th-minute penalty earned dramatic victory against 2018\/19 champions Al Nassr, while another came in last month\u2019s 2-2 draw versus Al Raed. This is genuine leadership in action, carrying on where he left off with Sevilla in August\u2019s triumphant Europa League showpiece.
\nBanega\u2019s 261 passes is only bettered by Hilal\u2019s Gustavo Cuellar, with his ratio of 67.5 passes per 90 minutes the division\u2019s joint-fourth best. The man\u2019s a genius.
\nYoussef El Jebli (Al Batin)
\nYoussef El Jebli (r) celebrates in Al Batin’s win versus Abha (Twitter\/@albatinclub).
\nEyebrows were raised when Al Faisaly chose to relinquish their Dutch playmaker, fresh from recording 10 assists in 2019\/20\u2019s debut campaign.
\nPromoted Batin swiftly snapped up El Jebli and team-mate Khaleem Hyland. A solid return after a season away has since been enjoyed, in seventh.
\nEl Jebli\u2019s combined tally for goals and assists of four is the division\u2019s highest. The 27-year-old\u2019s pair of assists helped inflict Raed\u2019s only defeat, with a well-taken double then sending Batin towards a 3-0 thumping of Abha.
\nMourad Batna (Al Fateh)
\nMourad Batna (r) in action against Al Nassr (EPA).
\nFateh have made a flying start \u2013 and their Moroccan speedster has been key.
\nMemories of a miserable final few years in the UAE were blown away, not least during his two-goal salvo past the 82nd-minute mark to down 10-man Al Ain.
\nThe 30-year-old right winger has unleashed solid numbers to date, when cutting back inside on his favoured left foot. His total of 12 attempts is the SPL\u2019s joint-fifth most, 18 touches inside the penalty box is the third highest and his shot-accuracy percentage of 41.7 per cent ranks second.
\nBatna\u2019s tally of two SPL strikes in four run-outs would have been enough to make him joint-fourth top scorer in 2019\/20. On current form, he may outstrip Dutch target man Mitchell te Vrede.
\nMISSES
\nPedro Henrique (Al Wehda)
\nPedro Henrique (2nd l, top row) lines up for Al Wehda (EPA).
\nNew head coach Ivo Vieira has taken Wehda from fourth in 2019\/20, to third bottom in 2020\/21.
\nThese troubled early days for the Portuguese have been synonymous with disorder at the back. This is where the contribution of Henrique \u2013 a player present when Vieira guided Vitoria Guimaraes to seventh in Portugal\u2019s Primeira Liga last term \u2013 can be queried.
\nA lack of chemistry with resident Spanish centre-back Alberto Botia is apparent and the decision to send former partner Renato Chaves to Batin appears misguided.
\nThe ease of which Aqeel Al Sahbi outjumped him for Al Raed\u2019s opener and how easily he was \u2018sold\u2019 by Abdulfattah Adam\u2019s 94th-minute clincher in this epic 3-2 loss would have increased serious concerns which arose from the previous 2-1 loss versus Faisaly.
\nCarolus Andriamatsinoro (Al Qadsiyah)
\nCarolus Andriamatsinoro competing against Al Taawoun (EPA).
\nPromoted Qadsiyah have struck only four times \u2013 the joint-second least \u2013 and blame for this paltry output will understandably gravitate towards their starting striker.
\nMadagascar international Andriamatsinoro has contributed neither a goal or an assist across 399 minutes for new employers. This drought has come from nine attempts, which is the 11th most of any player in the division.
\nBut most alarmingly for an attacker who began 2019\/20 in such lethal fashion for relegated Al Adalah, he\u2019s only converted on three occasions in his past 25 top-flight matches. An alarming trend.
\nKim Jin-su (Al Nassr)
\nKim Jin-su (l) during Al Nassr’s defeat by Al Shabab (EPA).
\nThere is every reason to think Kim will come good for struggling Nassr.
\nA startling left-back for South Korea, who has further excelled for Hoffenheim and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, has pedigree in spades. Yet the early months of his career in the Middle East has not been a time to remember.
\nKim was surprisingly overlooked for Nassr\u2019s foreign quartet when the 2020 AFC Champions League restarted in September. He then started all three opening SPL defeats, before missing the remarkable 2-0 win versus Qadsiyah when multiple members of the squad were infected by COVID-19.
\nShabab right-back Fawaz Al-Sqoor, in particular, repeatedly exposed suspect defensive positioning in this month\u2019s derby loss.
\nIn two of his three SPL run-outs he\u2019s attempted only two crosses. An aerial-duels won percentage of 41.7 per cent is way down on his K League 1 average of 62 per cent, with a comparison for percentage of recoveries in the opposition half (SPL \u2013 23.1 per cent, K League 36.3 per cent) being similarly unkind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the Saudi Professional League put on pause for the international break, now is an apt time to assess early impact of the summer\u2019s transfer additions.
\nThe Kingdom\u2019s finest had less than six weeks to shift focus from the previous campaign, because of coronavirus\u2019 effect on the calendar. This placed extra pressures on recruitment.
\nIt is, of course, early days for 2020\/21 and much could change in the coming months. But there have been notable successes and failures witnessed throughout the first four match-weeks.
\nWith the help of Wyscout and SofaScore, we\u2019ve picked them out:
\nHITS
\nEver Banega (Al Shabab)
\nEver Banega (c) celebrates his winner against Al Nassr (EPA).
\nReputation, alone, is not a guarantor when superstars make the switch from Europe to Asia.
\nArgentina metronome Banega has, however, been an unqualified hit in Shabab colours.
\nLast term\u2019s distant seventh-placed finishers now find themselves second, locked on 10 points with leaders Al Hilal. The gap between them last season stretched to 29 points.
\nA 97th-minute penalty earned dramatic victory against 2018\/19 champions Al Nassr, while another came in last month\u2019s 2-2 draw versus Al Raed. This is genuine leadership in action, carrying on where he left off with Sevilla in August\u2019s triumphant Europa League showpiece.
\nBanega\u2019s 261 passes is only bettered by Hilal\u2019s Gustavo Cuellar, with his ratio of 67.5 passes per 90 minutes the division\u2019s joint-fourth best. The man\u2019s a genius.
\nYoussef El Jebli (Al Batin)
\nYoussef El Jebli (r) celebrates in Al Batin\u2019s win versus Abha (Twitter\/@albatinclub).
\nEyebrows were raised when Al Faisaly chose to relinquish their Dutch playmaker, fresh from recording 10 assists in 2019\/20\u2019s debut campaign.
\nPromoted Batin swiftly snapped up El Jebli and team-mate Khaleem Hyland. A solid return after a season away has since been enjoyed, in seventh.
\nEl Jebli\u2019s combined tally for goals and assists of four is the division\u2019s highest. The 27-year-old\u2019s pair of assists helped inflict Raed\u2019s only defeat, with a well-taken double then sending Batin towards a 3-0 thumping of Abha.
\nMourad Batna (Al Fateh)
\nMourad Batna (r) in action against Al Nassr (EPA).
\nFateh have made a flying start \u2013 and their Moroccan speedster has been key.
\nMemories of a miserable final few years in the UAE were blown away, not least during his two-goal salvo past the 82nd-minute mark to down 10-man Al Ain.
\nThe 30-year-old right winger has unleashed solid numbers to date, when cutting back inside on his favoured left foot. His total of 12 attempts is the SPL\u2019s joint-fifth most, 18 touches inside the penalty box is the third highest and his shot-accuracy percentage of 41.7 per cent ranks second.
\nBatna\u2019s tally of two SPL strikes in four run-outs would have been enough to make him joint-fourth top scorer in 2019\/20. On current form, he may outstrip Dutch target man Mitchell te Vrede.
\nMISSES
\nPedro Henrique (Al Wehda)
\nPedro Henrique (2nd l, top row) lines up for Al Wehda (EPA).
\nNew head coach Ivo Vieira has taken Wehda from fourth in 2019\/20, to third bottom in 2020\/21.
\nThese troubled early days for the Portuguese have been synonymous with disorder at the back. This is where the contribution of Henrique \u2013 a player present when Vieira guided Vitoria Guimaraes to seventh in Portugal\u2019s Primeira Liga last term \u2013 can be queried.
\nA lack of chemistry with resident Spanish centre-back Alberto Botia is apparent and the decision to send former partner Renato Chaves to Batin appears misguided.
\nThe ease of which Aqeel Al Sahbi outjumped him for Al Raed\u2019s opener and how easily he was \u2018sold\u2019 by Abdulfattah Adam\u2019s 94th-minute clincher in this epic 3-2 loss would have increased serious concerns which arose from the previous 2-1 loss versus Faisaly.
\nCarolus Andriamatsinoro (Al Qadsiyah)
\nCarolus Andriamatsinoro competing against Al Taawoun (EPA).
\nPromoted Qadsiyah have struck only four times \u2013 the joint-second least \u2013 and blame for this paltry output will understandably gravitate towards their starting striker.
\nMadagascar international Andriamatsinoro has contributed neither a goal or an assist across 399 minutes for new employers. This drought has come from nine attempts, which is the 11th most of any player in the division.
\nBut most alarmingly for an attacker who began 2019\/20 in such lethal fashion for relegated Al Adalah, he\u2019s only converted on three occasions in his past 25 top-flight matches. An alarming trend.
\nKim Jin-su (Al Nassr)
\nKim Jin-su (l) during Al Nassr\u2019s defeat by Al Shabab (EPA).
\nThere is every reason to think Kim will come good for struggling Nassr.
\nA startling left-back for South Korea, who has further excelled for Hoffenheim and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, has pedigree in spades. Yet the early months of his career in the Middle East has not been a time to remember.
\nKim was surprisingly overlooked for Nassr\u2019s foreign quartet when the 2020 AFC Champions League restarted in September. He then started all three opening SPL defeats, before missing the remarkable 2-0 win versus Qadsiyah when multiple members of the squad were infected by COVID-19.
\nShabab right-back Fawaz Al-Sqoor, in particular, repeatedly exposed suspect defensive positioning in this month\u2019s derby loss.
\nIn two of his three SPL run-outs he\u2019s attempted only two crosses. An aerial-duels won percentage of 41.7 per cent is way down on his K League 1 average of 62 per cent, with a comparison for percentage of recoveries in the opposition half (SPL \u2013 23.1 per cent, K League 36.3 per cent) being similarly unkind.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=196"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions\/197"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}