Al-Fayha's Portuguese coach, Pedro Emanuel, expressed his disappointment with the result of his team's match against Al-Ahli, which ended in a 2-0 defeat for Al-Fayha in the twelfth round of the Saudi Professional League. In his statements, the coach confirmed that the team paid the price for a poor start and the significant absences they suffered before the match.
In the post-match press conference, Emmanuel provided a technical analysis of the game, explaining that Al-Ahli did not create a plethora of chances as the scoreline might suggest. He argued that Al-Fayha gifted their opponents the opportunity to score through positional errors and a poor start to the match. Emmanuel stated, "Al-Ahli had very few chances, but unfortunately, we gave them the advantage by not starting the game with the required mental and tactical approach.".
The Portuguese coach addressed the "final touch" problem that plagued his players throughout both halves of the match, pointing to the paradox of their possession-based approach. Al-Fayha controlled the ball for much of the game and attempted to build attacks, but their finishing was completely lacking in front of goal. He added, "We had possession and tried to get back into the game, but we suffered greatly from a lack of focus in the final pass, which prevented us from converting that possession into goals.".
This loss comes amidst fierce competition in the Saudi league this season, where top clubs, packed with international stars, such as Al-Ahli, are striving to secure points at home in front of their fans to remain in contention for the title or qualification for Asian championships. This match highlights the technical gap that mid-table clubs are trying to bridge through tactical discipline, something Al-Fayha lacked at crucial moments in the game.
From a numerical perspective and in terms of its impact on the standings, this defeat leaves Al-Fayha with 12 points, keeping them in eleventh place. This situation puts the team under pressure to get back on track in the upcoming rounds to avoid slipping into the relegation zone, especially with the competition intensifying in the second half of the table and the points gaps between the teams becoming increasingly tight.
Pedro Emanuel faces a major challenge in the coming period to find solutions to the lack of offensive effectiveness and to compensate for absences, especially since the Roshan League requires high physical and mental readiness to keep up with the escalating pace of matches, where there is no room for giving up easy points or committing defensive errors that cost the team the results of matches, as happened in the match against Al-Ahly.
