Saudi Professional League 2023/2024

[Josefjix]

The Benzema we saw in the Saudi League was far from the good situation we saw from him in Real Madrid, Benzema in Real Madrid was one of the most effective players in this team and he had perfect performances, even after he left Real Madrid had a problem to find an alternative player to fill his place into tam but just after he joined the Saudi team, he was mostly injured and as you said he was far from his good form we saw before from him.

The Karim Benzema we saw in Real Madrid was automatically generated as Benzema 2.0, but the one who moved to SPL football is very different since the proof is apparent enough. What are the intentions of European players when they travel to Saudi Arabia? Do they want to innovate with their performance in the new club, or will they simply keep to their customary form? Suadi Arabia is considerably different from the typical European league. First and foremost, Karim Benzema is old and will be unable to compete, and the Frenchman has no option but to adapt to the system which will take him quite some time, everything just needs time to adapt and grow efficiently.

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[BlackBoss_]

The Karim Benzema we saw in Real Madrid was automatically generated as Benzema 2.0, but the one who moved to SPL football is very different since the proof is apparent enough. What are the intentions of European players when they travel to Saudi Arabia? Do they want to innovate with their performance in the new club, or will they simply keep to their customary form? Suadi Arabia is considerably different from the typical European league. First and foremost, Karim Benzema is old and will be unable to compete, and the Frenchman has no option but to adapt to the system which will take him quite some time, everything just needs time to adapt and grow efficiently.

Benzema just was himself and he has been playing professionally and ambitiously for years. They got two excellent seasons in Real Madrid after Cristiano Ronaldo left the club because with that opportunity, Benzema became a main striker of Real Madrid. He no longer had to play to support Cristiano Ronaldo and it was a big change in his playing role in Real Madrid squad. With skills collected through previous years, he took over this position very well and scored many goals for them, then won Ballon d'Or.

One season after Ballon d'Or, Benzema got more injuries and he realized that he was getting more issues with his body and fitness. The super good offer from Al Ittihad came at a right time and he made a good decision, at least financially, to move to Al Ittihad and Saudi Professional League. We must be realistic that Benzema is getting older each year and he will not be able to play too much and contribute too much for Al Ittihad in coming years, if he still be in their club.

[RaltcoinsB]

It may feel like the game doesn't mean anything, but it still does mean a lot. Al-Nassr got a lot of players for a lot of money, they have spent way more than what Inter Miami spent, and yet Inter Miami got some players that are quality level players for very cheap as well, so it should not be an uneven match, and any time Messi vs Ronaldo happens, it means something and it's fun to watch and the hardcore fans will take it to mean something for sure.

I think it's quite important to see them have one last to go, I do not know they will ever face each other, this could very well be the last game they ever play against each other, should be something to see, should definitely end up with a lot of fun memories when they hang it up.

Messi and Ronaldo are both getting old but still both players are in the good form and even there is a high chance to see a huge interest when these two teams Al Nassr and Inter Miami face each other. However, I think their performance of Messi sis is not good anymore and he is far from the good days he had before while Ronaldo is even performing better when he gets more experienced and comparing these two players can say Ronaldo got a better situation.

Ronaldo is trying to erase the effects of aging that the years have given him with his inherently ambitious and hard-working personality. Messi acts a little more relaxed in this regard. He should also be happy with his life in America. I think Messi does not have Ronaldo's ambition and determination to work. If there is an Inter Miami - Al Nassr match, the eyes of the world will be on this match because every match played between these legends has been valuable.

[klidex]

I think he underestimated the Saudi league. Benzema faced a more difficult league than he expected. I think he should make an effort to repay the salary paid to him. Neymar was injured almost before he could play a match and he could not stand out either. Benzema also fell below expectations. Again, one of the best in the league is Cristiano Ronaldo. Firmino did not make the expected impact either. The stars are fading away one by one.

Who underestimates SPL? Benzema?
I think he doesn't underestimate SPL, he is just unlucky because he more often gets injury.
You must understand that it is difficult to play in the best form if a player often gets injury. Neymar and Lewandowski are the examples of this case, they are difficult to play in their best level anymore because of the injury problem.

The best player in SPL isn't only Ronaldo, you must consider other players as well. Mitrovic, Talisca, Mane, Milinkovic-savic are also best players in SPL this season. I also think there many other European players who play well this season. That's why SPL becomes very interesting this season, it is because we have many good top players.

I think Karim Benzema's problem is not because he underestimates the Saudi League because as far as I know there is no player who underestimates the league because basically the Saudi League and the European League are different, when at Real Madrid Karim Benzema is in good health and his stamina is also quite strong and he is supported by his teammates who helped him create opportunities. Whereas at Ittihad he suffered an injury when he was no longer young so this affected the quality of his performance optimally, and it is true that as you mentioned Lewandowski also suffered an injury when he was no longer young and he is currently performance is also decreasing.

Every player who has experienced an injury will definitely find it a little difficult to return to their best performance because they are a little worried that the injury will happen again if they are not careful. A history of injury is a player main problem because it affects his career, while Ronaldo is still fine joining Al Nassr. So it is natural that he is still quite good at playing in the Saudi League and other players like the ones you mentioned are no less good than Ronaldo.

[X-ray]

I think he underestimated the Saudi league. Benzema faced a more difficult league than he expected. I think he should make an effort to repay the salary paid to him. Neymar was injured almost before he could play a match and he could not stand out either. Benzema also fell below expectations. Again, one of the best in the league is Cristiano Ronaldo. Firmino did not make the expected impact either. The stars are fading away one by one.

Who underestimates SPL? Benzema?
I think he doesn't underestimate SPL, he is just unlucky because he more often gets injury.
You must understand that it is difficult to play in the best form if a player often gets injury. Neymar and Lewandowski are the examples of this case, they are difficult to play in their best level anymore because of the injury problem.

The best player in SPL isn't only Ronaldo, you must consider other players as well. Mitrovic, Talisca, Mane, Milinkovic-savic are also best players in SPL this season. I also think there many other European players who play well this season. That's why SPL becomes very interesting this season, it is because we have many good top players.

The Benzema we saw in the Saudi League was far from the good situation we saw from him in Real Madrid, Benzema in Real Madrid was one of the most effective players in this team and he had perfect performances, even after he left Real Madrid had a problem to find an alternative player to fill his place into tam but just after he joined the Saudi team, he was mostly injured and as you said he was far from his good form we saw before from him.

Then you can't only see that based on the performance of benzema. You can also try to compare the condition of club. Real madrid gave him good environtment and he was also feeling so confidence to play for the club unlike when he was going to the ittihad.

There are so many problems in ittihad and it makes benzema could not showing good performance. Benzema is very inconsistent at this time and i think this will continue till the end of season.

Im not feeling happy seeing how benzema was so struggling in keeping its performance in the club. Ittihad's owner need to do soemthing or at least try to tell the management to handle the club properly.

It's caused by the club is not situational according to the rumor if there was internal problem happened in the club. This was surely affecting the performance from benzema and his teammates. He may be leaving from there in the future.

[Hirose UK]

~snip~

Well Henderson isn’t used to contributing to goals because of the position he plays majorly. He’s more of defensive than attacking and thereby his low stats on goal creation. Well, his move to Saudi is what he’s regretting right now probably because the club is at it’s lowest and yes, he’s mot used to a failed system. Well I think the club is suffering and not at all do I blame him for his regrets.

 He needs his full confidence on the pitch and that might not happen especially because he’s playing for Al-Ettifaq. Rumors on Firmino could be true especially as Salah’s departure is lurking around but I don’t think it’s quite possible especially with the whole issue of how the club needs to build their young players but mo doubt, Klopp could make it possible if the finance is available.

It is true that Henderson cannot score many goals because his dominant position is more defensive and in every match he plays he is always in the middle position, Henderson cannot find gaps to go forward and get assists to score goals.
It also shame for players like Henderson who were previously with Liverpool and if he hadn't moved, maybe now he would have had winning party and had chance of winning the title.
Al-Ettifaq is in 8th place and of course this is also the reason why Henderson cannot perform well enough.

It is difficult to maintain self-confidence if he himself is not happy or does not believe in the team he is playing for.
So that why Firmino is heavily linked with rumors of him returning to play with Liverpool because Salah himself is key player who might leave Liverpool, but it is not yet clear whether there will be an extension like in 2021.

[8rch7]

Actually Karim Benzema performance with Al Ittihad not bad yet because can scored 9 goals of 15 matches he can't help Al Ittihad lead top position standings by him self only, its not bad statistic for Karim Benzema first season with Al Ittihad bad team performance not support yet how to make him have good reputation. Actually need time for adapting well exactly weather difference between Saudi Arabia and european weather but 9 goals of 15 matches Karim Benzema still the best striker for Al Ittihad.

Have rumor with Arsenal interested want to sign Karim Benzema, Arsenal manager Arteta have announce his interested but not easy to get Benzema's sign because he has contract left with Al Ittihad and Arsenal have to prepare much salary payment for Karim Benzema with current salary received from Al Ittihad.

[Jody.Drummer]

Actually Karim Benzema performance with Al Ittihad not bad yet because can scored 9 goals of 15 matches he can't help Al Ittihad lead top position standings by him self only, its not bad statistic for Karim Benzema first season with Al Ittihad bad team performance not support yet how to make him have good reputation. Actually need time for adapting well exactly weather difference between Saudi Arabia and european weather but 9 goals of 15 matches Karim Benzema still the best striker for Al Ittihad.

Have rumor with Arsenal interested want to sign Karim Benzema, Arsenal manager Arteta have announce his interested but not easy to get Benzema's sign because he has contract left with Al Ittihad and Arsenal have to prepare much salary payment for Karim Benzema with current salary received from Al Ittihad.

Yes, it's true, Benzema's performance cannot be said to be bad, he played quite well but did not show the very good performance that many people expected. However, this cannot be separated from the club's performance which is not very good. However, he cannot play alone, because he plays as a team of 11 players each game. It would not be wise to blame it only on Benzema, because other players play a very important role for a club, he cannot alone bring his team to a high level and I also don't think any player can do that alone.
Now they have to improve as a team not as individual players. Everyone on the team must have a sense of responsibility to make the club at a high level.

[BRINIRHA]

Actually Karim Benzema performance with Al Ittihad not bad yet because can scored 9 goals of 15 matches he can't help Al Ittihad lead top position standings by him self only, its not bad statistic for Karim Benzema first season with Al Ittihad bad team performance not support yet how to make him have good reputation. Actually need time for adapting well exactly weather difference between Saudi Arabia and european weather but 9 goals of 15 matches Karim Benzema still the best striker for Al Ittihad.

Well, Benzema has performed quite well so far at Al-ittihad. It's just that he hasn't fully adapted to Al-ittihad. Because not all players can adapt quickly to a new club. Moreover, there are many differences between Arab and European clubs. Both in the rhythm of the game and the weather of the place. So some European players definitely need time to adapt to all of this. Even Sadio Mane at Al-Nassr didn't immediately perform well. It's just that Mane is lucky to have CR7 at Al-Nassr who has also adapted there and of course can help Mane adapt more quickly. Meanwhile at Al-ittihad all the European players there were also brought in at almost the same time as Benzema. So everyone still needs time to build good chemistry with fellow players. I am sure that in the second season Benzema can be more productive. Because CR7 also did better things in his second season with Al-Nassr.

[wakier]

Yeah you are right, before Benzema can still play normally but for some reason lately the performance decreases maybe because of the injury or maybe his age is not possible to compete in this league. Benzema still has time until the end of the season to prove that he is still able to compete and Al-Ittihad will make a decision after seeing its performance at the end of the season.

I think Benzema will still be retained by Ittihad because he has signed a 3 year contract if I'm not mistaken until 2026 so I think Ittihad will still give Benzema time to return to his best performance like when he was at Los Blancos, I'm sure Benzema can definitely do it, he just needs to time to adapt to his current team because he is not used to playing in the SPL because he spent most of his career at Los Whites.

[len01]

Then you can't only see that based on the performance of benzema. You can also try to compare the condition of club. Real madrid gave him good environtment and he was also feeling so confidence to play for the club unlike when he was going to the ittihad.

There are so many problems in ittihad and it makes benzema could not showing good performance. Benzema is very inconsistent at this time and i think this will continue till the end of season.

Im not feeling happy seeing how benzema was so struggling in keeping its performance in the club. Ittihad's owner need to do soemthing or at least try to tell the management to handle the club properly.

It's caused by the club is not situational according to the rumor if there was internal problem happened in the club. This was surely affecting the performance from benzema and his teammates. He may be leaving from there in the future.

IMO, and this is what I see, the problem that makes it difficult for Benzema to appear stronger is simply that he needs other players who can unite their chemistry to create solid partnership, such as Ronaldo and Mitrovic, who currently have very strong chemistry with other players.
I always see Benzema as not being able to work together with other player so Ittihad must understand this to find a way so that Benzema can make the best contribution like when he was in europe.

and as for internal problems, I'm not too sure because I think that the only problem that makes Benzema look really bad.

[Blitzboy]

It may feel like the game doesn't mean anything, but it still does mean a lot. Al-Nassr got a lot of players for a lot of money, they have spent way more than what Inter Miami spent, and yet Inter Miami got some players that are quality level players for very cheap as well, so it should not be an uneven match, and any time Messi vs Ronaldo happens, it means something and it's fun to watch and the hardcore fans will take it to mean something for sure.

I think it's quite important to see them have one last to go, I do not know they will ever face each other, this could very well be the last game they ever play against each other, should be something to see, should definitely end up with a lot of fun memories when they hang it up.

Messi and Ronaldo are both getting old but still both players are in the good form and even there is a high chance to see a huge interest when these two teams Al Nassr and Inter Miami face each other. However, I think their performance of Messi sis is not good anymore and he is far from the good days he had before while Ronaldo is even performing better when he gets more experienced and comparing these two players can say Ronaldo got a better situation.

I think seeing Messi and Ronaldo play is great regardless of age. Messi may not be at his best like in Barcelona, but Ronaldo's goal-scoring prowess seems to last. Not simply current shape, right? They reflect a football era we've all enjoyed. Their nearly two-decade rivalry is legendary.

A match between Inter Miami and Al Nassr excites me. Not merely who's fitter or scores more. Two game giants may face off for the last time. The nostalgia, recollections, and their presence on the field transcend form. Two careers that changed football are honored.

[rendravolt]

Actually Karim Benzema performance with Al Ittihad not bad yet because can scored 9 goals of 15 matches he can't help Al Ittihad lead top position standings by him self only, its not bad statistic for Karim Benzema first season with Al Ittihad bad team performance not support yet how to make him have good reputation. Actually need time for adapting well exactly weather difference between Saudi Arabia and european weather but 9 goals of 15 matches Karim Benzema still the best striker for Al Ittihad.

Have rumor with Arsenal interested want to sign Karim Benzema, Arsenal manager Arteta have announce his interested but not easy to get Benzema's sign because he has contract left with Al Ittihad and Arsenal have to prepare much salary payment for Karim Benzema with current salary received from Al Ittihad.

But Al-Ittihad fans were dissatisfied with the performance of the former Real Madrid player and they started attacking his Instagram account and Benzema was forced to deactivate his account indefinitely. I think the Al-Ittihad public has too high expectations of him and perhaps Benzema's failure this season has made them angry considering that Al-Itthad are the defending champions of the Saudi League.

Now, if Benzema leaves because of the pressure that exists from the fans, it will be a loss for the club because they have spent a lot of money on his salary and at the same time, Saudi Arabia will also lose him considering that his exposure is also very large for the future development of the Saudi League. As for Arsenal, I think they are just interested and Benzema's salary is too big, so it is better for their funds to be used to recruit younger and more talented players than to invest their funds in players who are almost finished.

[Volgastallion]

Benzema situation seems very suspicious because not only he is old enought to go to arabia and stay there, but also because he is from the arab world in someterms, he is also muslim so he has to be very comfort in this country, i dont really know what is happening and why we have this rumours of him wanting to comeback to europe.

[nurilham]

Cristiano Ronaldo has a good lifestyle as an athlete, even though he is 38 years old, he still performs quite consistently and is the top scorer this year with a collection of 54 goals. Its not problem for him when raising age 38 years old keep consistency performance regarding other players on his age have been retired or playing with lower level competition. Must be inspiring for other players how most important with good lifestyle as athlete and keep take care with their physical condition.

You're right. Ronaldo always keeps a healthy lifestyle and do exercise everyday. That makes his physical to have good endurance. He is 38 years old but he is still very competitive in SPL, he even leads the top scorer in SPL now. Sure, it is a great achievement for a 38 years old player. Well, I don't know when Ronaldo will consider to retire, but it looks like he will play until 40 years old. No doubt, this will inspire football players around the world. He is a real role model of professional footballer.

Talking about possibility of not for Al Nassr win Saudi Pro League tittle in this season seems bit difficult although not close yet, remaining 7 points behind Al Hilal with impressive performance this season and first meeting Al Nassr have defeated not has many choose if can't beat them on second half match.

Agree, it seems quite difficult to win the title. But it is surely not impossible as long as there are still many remaining matches. 7 points difference is large enough, but Al Nassr must have the motivation to keep their effort for the title. I really hope Al Nassr will maintain their good performance until the end of the season. Let's see if Al Hilal can miss points or not in the next matches.

[QueenVera]

It is true that Henderson cannot score many goals because his dominant position is more defensive and in every match he plays he is always in the middle position, Henderson cannot find gaps to go forward and get assists to score goals.
It also shame for players like Henderson who were previously with Liverpool and if he hadn't moved, maybe now he would have had winning party and had chance of winning the title.
Al-Ettifaq is in 8th place and of course this is also the reason why Henderson cannot perform well enough.

It is difficult to maintain self-confidence if he himself is not happy or does not believe in the team he is playing for.
So that why Firmino is heavily linked with rumors of him returning to play with Liverpool because Salah himself is key player who might leave Liverpool, but it is not yet clear whether there will be an extension like in 2021.

Sometimes a player's decision to switch team can make or mar his career. At thesame, it won't be evident at first till the move is made. Henderson with Liverpool did exceedingly well. He had the right team spirit he needed and he delivered justly in his position.
His switch made a difference in his position on the pitch too, his new role isn't adequately executed and he's just got to struggle hard to keep up a good play.

 It's draining though because with Liverpool if he had remained in the team, it'd have been a more positive scenario. The current situation has effect on his physical and mental capabilities in the team and it needs to be corrected or he better still, switches to a more favourable condition of play. Even if it means going to a mediocre team in the EPL.

[rahmad2nd]

Yeah you are right, before Benzema can still play normally but for some reason lately the performance decreases maybe because of the injury or maybe his age is not possible to compete in this league. Benzema still has time until the end of the season to prove that he is still able to compete and Al-Ittihad will make a decision after seeing its performance at the end of the season.

As far as I have observed and followed, Benzema was injured and missed several of his matches with Al Ittihad. in the 19 matches played by Al Ittihad, Benzema only played 15 matches with his team. plus, the system implemented by the previous coach did not suit Benzema's playing style. yeah, as some rumors have reported that Benzema doesn't get along with Nuno Santos. it seems that Benzema doesn't like the system implemented by the coach who previously managed Al Ittihad.
now, Marcelo Gallordo is in charge of Al Ittihad. at least Al Ittihad's new coach is bringing an offensive system, and Benzenma is returning to playing as a pure striker or center forward.

IMO, Benzema can actually still be relied on even though he is 36. the problem is, this team is not filled with potential supporting players. in the end, Benzema's performance has not really improved so far. I think it's not just Benzema's problem if Al Ittihad wants improvement. Ideally, club management must bring in several newcomers who can be relied on. good in terms of scoring goals, as well as contributing to helping Bemzema as a goal in his team's squad. which means, Al Ittihad must bring in several wingers who are quite competent and can be relied on. thus, Al Ittihad still has a chance of at least finishing in the top four of the Saudi Pro League. Well, let's see, this competition still has a break before it starts again.

[Strongkored]

Actually Karim Benzema performance with Al Ittihad not bad yet because can scored 9 goals of 15 matches he can't help Al Ittihad lead top position standings by him self only, its not bad statistic for Karim Benzema first season with Al Ittihad bad team performance not support yet how to make him have good reputation. Actually need time for adapting well exactly weather difference between Saudi Arabia and european weather but 9 goals of 15 matches Karim Benzema still the best striker for Al Ittihad.

Have rumor with Arsenal interested want to sign Karim Benzema, Arsenal manager Arteta have announce his interested but not easy to get Benzema's sign because he has contract left with Al Ittihad and Arsenal have to prepare much salary payment for Karim Benzema with current salary received from Al Ittihad.

Maybe his performance is not too bad if you look at the number of goals he has scored for Ittihad FC in the Saudi pro league, although it is still less than that scored by Hamdallah who scored 10 goals in 14 matches and he was the main striker at this club last season and his position was replaced by Karim Benzema this season with the hope that Ittihad FC will be even better and more importantly can defend the title, but for now that is no longer possible, even Al Nassr, who are only seven points behind Al Hilal, is finding it difficult to catch up, especially Ittihad FC who are already behind 25 points, and with what Ittihad FC is currently experiencing, it proves that buying star players from Europe is not a guarantee and there must be a very precise assessment to be able to get the right players, like Al Hilal who bought Neymar and also Mitrovic but it turned out that Mitrovic was the one valueable purchases for his club because the injury meant that Neymar couldn't do much for his team.

Are you sure that management will allow Arteta to bring in Karim Benzema? He may even only be able to play no more than three seasons, he may retire in less than two seasons, and I have never seen a top team in the English Premier League interested in buying an old striker like Benzema, so it could be that it's just a rumor spread by Benzema's agent to make other clubs want to buy him because he reportedly doesn't feel at home at Ittihad FC.

[klidex]

It is true that Henderson cannot score many goals because his dominant position is more defensive and in every match he plays he is always in the middle position, Henderson cannot find gaps to go forward and get assists to score goals.
It also shame for players like Henderson who were previously with Liverpool and if he hadn't moved, maybe now he would have had winning party and had chance of winning the title.
Al-Ettifaq is in 8th place and of course this is also the reason why Henderson cannot perform well enough.

It is difficult to maintain self-confidence if he himself is not happy or does not believe in the team he is playing for.
So that why Firmino is heavily linked with rumors of him returning to play with Liverpool because Salah himself is key player who might leave Liverpool, but it is not yet clear whether there will be an extension like in 2021.

Sometimes a player's decision to switch team can make or mar his career. At thesame, it won't be evident at first till the move is made. Henderson with Liverpool did exceedingly well. He had the right team spirit he needed and he delivered justly in his position.
His switch made a difference in his position on the pitch too, his new role isn't adequately executed and he's just got to struggle hard to keep up a good play.

 It's draining though because with Liverpool if he had remained in the team, it'd have been a more positive scenario. The current situation has effect on his physical and mental capabilities in the team and it needs to be corrected or he better still, switches to a more favourable condition of play. Even if it means going to a mediocre team in the EPL.

Yes, because players have to adapt well so that the move doesn't have a big impact on their career. There are players who are successful when they change clubs and there are also those whose careers decline after changing clubs because the ability to adapt and the quality of players at each club is different. Jordan Henderson played quite well at Premier League with Liverpool but tended to decline when playing in the Saudi League with Al Ettifaq. I think Jordan Henderson still needs time to develop there.

If a player feels uncomfortable at his new club he might think about returning to his old club because he thinks it is difficult to develop if the club cannot provide comfort between players, it is not easy to adapt to the Saudi League which is a different league from the European League. Weather in the Saudi League and the European leagues are also different so players have to think carefully if they really want to continue their career in the Saudi League because if they only want a big salary without thinking about their career then their potential will fade.

[rendravolt]

It is reported that Al-Ittihad is preparing an offer for Ángel Correa from Altetico and this is another step made by Al-Ittihad to return to hunting for European players. I think Ángel Correa is not a bad choice and as a winger who can also be a striker he is the right option for Al-Ittihad's attack line. Certainly his services are really needed by Al-Ittihad who are currently slumped deep in the middle of the standings and hope that in the remainder of this season they can improve the shortcomings in the squad. Moreover, with the news of Benzema's disappearance, it is hoped that Ángel Correa can be his replacement.

Now the decision depends on Ángel Correa. If he wants to leave and join Al-Ittihad then Atletico will open the door for Ángel Correa. The reason is that with this transfer Atletico has targeted Thiago Almada as a replacement for Ángel Correa. In fact, with the current situation, Al-Ittihad has received clarity and of course all they have to do is increase their offer and salary so that Ángel Correa wants to join this January.

Source: https://twitter.com/DeadlineDayLive/status/1745575396047724613