Al-Fayha's first football team opened its friendly matches within its external training camp currently being held in Al Ain, UAE, with a positive draw of 1-1 against its counterpart, Al Dhafra, in the match that brought them together on Sunday evening at the grounds of the Al Fursan International Sports Center.
The match was exciting from both sides, as each team sought to impose its technical style. Player Mansour Al-Bishi managed to score Al-Fayha’s only goal, translating the team’s offensive efforts, while the Emirati team presented a strong opponent throughout the course of the match.
Pedro Emanuel's tactics and the players' experience
Al-Fayha's Portuguese coach, Pedro Emanuel, was keen to maximize the tactical benefits of this friendly match, fielding two completely different lineups across the two halves. This typical tactical approach in friendly matches aims to give all players the opportunity to participate and assess their physical and technical readiness before the resumption of official competitions.
The coach also made several tactical substitutions during the match, bringing in a number of players to strengthen the lines and test the harmony between the players. The participating list included Sattam Al-Shammari, Abdulraouf Al-Daqeel, Jeremy Konan, and Mohammed Al-Duwaish, reflecting the technical staff’s desire to prepare the substitutes’ bench to be as efficient as the main players.
The importance of the training camp and the timing of the international break
This match comes as Saudi clubs take advantage of the current international break, a golden opportunity to regroup and get back on track. Clubs often choose to hold training camps in the UAE due to its advanced sports infrastructure, similar climate, and the ease of arranging high-level friendly matches with Emirati clubs, which fosters technical competition and the exchange of expertise between clubs from the two brotherly nations.
Al-Fayha's position in the Roshan League and upcoming challenges
Al-Fayha enters this training camp in tenth place in the Saudi Professional League standings with 11 points, a position the team aims to improve to secure a comfortable mid-table position and avoid the complexities of relegation. The points accumulated before the break indicate a need for further tactical adjustments to increase their points tally in the upcoming rounds.
Al-Fayha’s delegation is scheduled to continue its intensive preparations, as the team prepares to host its counterpart “Neom” on Sunday afternoon, December 21, immediately after the end of the international break, in a match that the technical staff and the fans are counting on to be a new start for the team towards improving its position in the standings.
