Saudi Professional League 2023/2024

[Arenga pinnata]

Yeah, with the arrival of Ivan Toney, Al-Ahli's performance should improve because previously they had some great players. This will make the competition in the Saudi Pro League even fiercer but somehow I'm not sure if Al-Ahli is aiming for the title I mean they can only compete in top 3-4 no more and Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal will remain the main candidates to win the title. In this transfer window only a few European players came not like last season,

It seems that Al Ahli still needs a lot of professional players who are very experienced to be able to compete with top teams like Al Hilal and Al Nassr. The arrival of Ivan Toney and Firmino does not mean that they can provide great results and compared to the Al Nassr and Al Hilal squads, it seems that Al Ahli is still too far for me.
Al Ahli still needs quality defenders and all quality players must be brought in from Europe and currently Al Ahli is still having difficulty bringing in quality defenders. And that means Al Ahli might be able to compete but not to get the SPL title.
But at least bringing in Ivan Toney will improve Al Ahli attack line and there is no doubt to bet on Al Ahli victory when playing against a slightly weaker team.

Actually Al-ahli also has many foreign players in their squad. Because last season they were also quite active in hunting players. But the quality of the players brought in by Al-ahli is not as good as the players brought in by Al-Nassr, Al-hilal and Al-ittihad. So I also have the same thought that Al-ahli might be able to continue to compete well at the top. But I also doubt they are in contention for the title. I think the title fight will still be between Al-hilal, Al-nassr and AL-ittihad. I see that Al-ittihad is quite active in adding new players to their squad in the current transfer market.

[rendravolt]

After his move to the Saudi league was criticized by Ronald Koeman (Dutch coach) who said that the door to the Dutch national team was closed for him and it seems that this did not discourage Bergwijn and he responded to the harsh comments. He felt that Ronald Koeman should have been able to have a telephone conversation instead of describing Bergwijn badly in the media.

I think there is some truth to this and no matter how upset a coach is, he should be more mature to understand his players from the other side. We all know the main reasons why European players go here and that should not be something to talk about, especially for a coach like him. I hope that this negative news will not interfere with Bergwijn's performance with Al-Ittihad and of course we are looking forward to a better depth of Al-Ittihad squad for this season. At least they will get attention from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr at the top.

[Uruhara]

And currently Al Ahli is ranked 8th in the Saudi Arabian League with 3 points from 1 win and 1 loss to date. Apart from that, I personally am still a little hesitant to bet on Al Ahli, even though the opponent is a team that is not too strong. The reason is, when Al Ahli faced Al Fateh, who was actually not very strong, Al Ahli lost at that time. So keeping this in mind, I'm a little hesitant to bet on Al Ahli. Maybe I only dare to do BTTS in Al Ahli matches with any team.

Just like you, I also sometimes have doubts about every match Al-Ahli faces. Not because I underestimate this team but I also see that sometimes Al-ahli lose their consistency. Even though last season they managed to show very good quality, it is not certain that this season they will still be as good as last season. Because I also saw that the teams that were considered weak last season had made very good preparations and yes, this could make big teams like Al-ahli lose points. Al-fateh is not at all a favorite in the match against Al-ahli. but they can win. And it seems that Al-Ahli becomes quite weak when they play away games.
But actually Al-Ahli currently has good players in attack. Namely they have Mahrez, Firminho and even Ivan Toney. But this team doesn't have enough good players at the back.

In the next match Al-ahli will visit Al-nassr headquarters. And I think this match will be difficult to predict. Even though I might hope that Al-Nassr wins as host, sometimes Al-Nassr is also the same as Al-ahli. Where they sometimes lose points at unexpected times.

[slapper]

We usually aw some old players like Ronaldo join the Saudi League to end their career and they will choose to play for these Arabian teams because of the more money they can get in these teams while now it seems some young players are also interested in playing for these teams.
Ângelo Gabriel is a former player of Chelsea and he is a 19 player who plays as a winger and now he is going to play for Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia.
 

I think the reason why most Saudi Pro League clubs started with signing veteran players in the past was because these players were big names in football and were globally recognized so in their attempt to make the league popular among football fans across the globe, they were going for these veteran and popular footballers instead of signing young talents that will not attract global audience to the league. To an extent, they've been able to achieve their aim of attracting global attention to football in the Middle East country which is why they are now signing young talents.
Signing Ângelo Gabriel was a good transfer deal for Al Nassr even when I think they needed to sign quality defender instead of a winger. Hopefully for the Brazilian winger, he succeeds in his new club.

Ângelo Gabriel to Al Nassr is kinda a smart move. Its about creating for the future, not only about purchasing a headline. Thats how you create a league that lasts. This action might rewrite the story on the SPL. These days, they're not only retirement homes. Young players see opportunity, not a career dead end

Young stars are fantastic, but to grow them you need outstanding guidance. Without that, nothing is gained at all. Not to mention local talent either. Simply piling your squad with foreigners and hoping the league would flourish is not how it works. Though its a long trip, the SPL's on the right path. They must make investments in local players' development, coaching, and a competitive atmosphere. Only then will they be a force to be reckoned with.

[tusandii]

Actually Al-ahli also has many foreign players in their squad. Because last season they were also quite active in hunting players. But the quality of the players brought in by Al-ahli is not as good as the players brought in by Al-Nassr, Al-hilal and Al-ittihad. So I also have the same thought that Al-ahli might be able to continue to compete well at the top. But I also doubt they are in contention for the title. I think the title fight will still be between Al-hilal, Al-nassr and AL-ittihad. I see that Al-ittihad is quite active in adding new players to their squad in the current transfer market.

Al Ahli performed well last season with the foreign squad they have even better than Al Ittihad they managed to finish in 3rd position in the standings last season but this season Al Ahli seems to have difficulty competing in the Saudi League and has even experienced 1 defeat from 2 matches they have played so I also think the same as you that Al Ahli may not be able to surpass the abilities of Al Nassr and Al Hilal in the hunt for the title especially this season the arrival of the promoted club Al Qadisyah where they recruited many foreign players who seem to be going to make a breakthrough this season. In terms of squad Al Nassr and Al Hilal are still the most superior in the SPL but in my opinion Al Hilal is still a very tough rival for many clubs in the SPL.

[trendcoin]

The Saudi League is making really important strides, but if they don't get a place in the Champions League, I think their influence will continue to be narrow. The players they want to sign are players who want to play in the Champions League every year. I think they want to play in the Champions League more than which league they play in. I think one of the most obvious examples of this is Harry Kane. Instead of playing in the Premier League, he went to the Bundesliga (a less competitive league than the Premier League)...

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has already said Saudi teams will not participate in the Champions League. I hope he agrees with the Saudi League's efforts and paves the way for the Champions League for Saudi teams...

[Uruhara]

After his move to the Saudi league was criticized by Ronald Koeman (Dutch coach) who said that the door to the Dutch national team was closed for him and it seems that this did not discourage Bergwijn and he responded to the harsh comments. He felt that Ronald Koeman should have been able to have a telephone conversation instead of describing Bergwijn badly in the media.

I think there is some truth to this and no matter how upset a coach is, he should be more mature to understand his players from the other side. We all know the main reasons why European players go here and that should not be something to talk about, especially for a coach like him. I hope that this negative news will not interfere with Bergwijn's performance with Al-Ittihad and of course we are looking forward to a better depth of Al-Ittihad squad for this season. At least they will get attention from Al-Hilal and Al-Nassr at the top.

I like Bergwijn's attitude with his reply to Ronald Koeman. because however I also don't agree with the words and attitudes of a coach like Ronald Koeman. And we'll see, maybe if Bergwijn can play well and make a good reputation here then he will definitely be called up by the Dutch national team. And I'm sure Bergwijn will be even more motivated to play well at Al-ittihad. And with the presence of Bergwijn at Al-ittihad, Al-ittihad now has another quality wing midfielder. And I think this will make Al-ittihad get more attention from its opponents this season, especially Al-hilal and Al-nassr who seem to be competing fiercely in the SPL in the race for champions.

Al-ittihad has brought in many new players into their squad. And the 5 new players they got included from Aston Villa, namely Moussa Diaby, then Houssem Aouar from AS Roma, Predrag Rajkovic from Mallorca, then Pereira from PSG, and Bergwijn from Ajax. It looks like Al-ittihad have gathered everything they need for this season.

[Leviathan.007]

In Al Hilal, people are still unhappy about their player, Neymar and they are not counting on this Brazilian player anymore. Neymar was out of the good form for a long time and he was mostly injured in the past however we can't blame him for it because that's because of the playing style of this player.
Now Jorge Jesus the coach of Al Hilal started talking about Neyamr and he said they will remove the name of Neymar and use Renan Lodi instead of Neyamr in the list which can show Neymar is still not in the good form.

[Josefjix]

In Al Hilal, people are still unhappy about their player, Neymar and they are not counting on this Brazilian player anymore. Neymar was out of the good form for a long time and he was mostly injured in the past however we can't blame him for it because that's because of the playing style of this player.
Now Jorge Jesus the coach of Al Hilal started talking about Neyamr and he said they will remove the name of Neymar and use Renan Lodi instead of Neyamr in the list which can show Neymar is still not in the good form.

Speaking on unfilled tasks open by Neymar Jr, not good enough for the club but he's on the bench due to crucial injuries obtained. Al Hilal don't need the services of Neymar because they've stocked the team with high-profile players that are capable of netting top targets for the SPL club. Neymar Jr is in one of the best ranking club in Saudi Arabia following his move from Paris Saint-Germain. Probably the best skillful player in football, watching the Brazilian falling from his prime, it means quite alot.

[Blitzboy]

Yeah, with the arrival of Ivan Toney, Al-Ahli's performance should improve because previously they had some great players. This will make the competition in the Saudi Pro League even fiercer but somehow I'm not sure if Al-Ahli is aiming for the title I mean they can only compete in top 3-4 no more and Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal will remain the main candidates to win the title. In this transfer window only a few European players came not like last season,

It seems that Al Ahli still needs a lot of professional players who are very experienced to be able to compete with top teams like Al Hilal and Al Nassr. The arrival of Ivan Toney and Firmino does not mean that they can provide great results and compared to the Al Nassr and Al Hilal squads, it seems that Al Ahli is still too far for me.
Al Ahli still needs quality defenders and all quality players must be brought in from Europe and currently Al Ahli is still having difficulty bringing in quality defenders. And that means Al Ahli might be able to compete but not to get the SPL title.
But at least bringing in Ivan Toney will improve Al Ahli attack line and there is no doubt to bet on Al Ahli victory when playing against a slightly weaker team.

Al Ahli. They've made some splashy signings with Toney and Firmino. No matter how talented your front line is, without chances and the ball, they'll just stand around looking nice. Lets not even discuss defence. Hilal and Nassr are stacked back. Al Ahli? Not so much.

They may win some games, especially against weaker clubs. They'll play catch-up in the title battle. You may be lucky sometimes, but you'll be overwhelmed. Al Ahli has promise, but they must improve to compete. Until then, I'd be cautious about betting on them for the title.

[Jody.Drummer]

In Al Hilal, people are still unhappy about their player, Neymar and they are not counting on this Brazilian player anymore. Neymar was out of the good form for a long time and he was mostly injured in the past however we can't blame him for it because that's because of the playing style of this player.
Now Jorge Jesus the coach of Al Hilal started talking about Neyamr and he said they will remove the name of Neymar and use Renan Lodi instead of Neyamr in the list which can show Neymar is still not in the good form.

This is a failed purchase made by Al Hilal, failed not because his game was bad but failed because he only played a few games last season. They also cannot regret what they experienced, because the decision they took did not consider the injury record experienced by Neymar, because he was injured several times in one season while still wearing the Paris Saint Germain uniform. There was also a conflict between Neymar and Al Hilal, but it had no effect on Al Hilal. If in terms of business, Al Hilal must have suffered a loss, and when they terminated the contract I think it was not a good decision because they had to pay compensation. This could be a valuable lesson for them to be more careful in buying players.

[el kaka22]

Neymar not playing is not really a shock. First of all he is injured so he is not ready to come back yet, and secondly even if he comes back nobody should expect him to do that great, he has been injured all his life, ever since that famous injury at Brazil years ago, he has been getting injured quite frequently. Look at his time at PSG, he was great there when he played games, but he missed more games than anyone else, he was constantly injured and constantly missing games as well.

I believe that it is going to be a trouble for him and there is really no way to recover from there at all. The best thing they can do right now would be making sure that Neymar finishes his contract there, or (I know it is near impossible) find a team to get him. Even terminating his contract for cheaper than what he is owed would be fine.

[LUCKMCFLY]

In Al Hilal, people are still unhappy about their player, Neymar and they are not counting on this Brazilian player anymore. Neymar was out of the good form for a long time and he was mostly injured in the past however we can't blame him for it because that's because of the playing style of this player.
Now Jorge Jesus the coach of Al Hilal started talking about Neyamr and he said they will remove the name of Neymar and use Renan Lodi instead of Neyamr in the list which can show Neymar is still not in the good form.

It's a shame,  Personally, I've always said that when a player like Ney can't play Because of such a serious injury, I know that the team had the utmost patience to allow him to come on and prove his worth, but the team's interests are different, and of course, the benefit of having a Brazilian of his level is unique, and I think that because of the respect that everyone gives him , that's the reason why they won't have his name on the shirt, I wonder how serious his injury is ? Could it be that he can't help the Brazilian team yet? For how long? They need him no matter what.

[Obari]

Neymar not playing is not really a shock. First of all he is injured so he is not ready to come back yet, and secondly even if he comes back nobody should expect him to do that great, he has been injured all his life, ever since that famous injury at Brazil years ago, he has been getting injured quite frequently. Look at his time at PSG, he was great there when he played games, but he missed more games than anyone else, he was constantly injured and constantly missing games as well.

I believe that it is going to be a trouble for him and there is really no way to recover from there at all. The best thing they can do right now would be making sure that Neymar finishes his contract there, or (I know it is near impossible) find a team to get him. Even terminating his contract for cheaper than what he is owed would be fine.

Terminating Neymar Jr contract with his current club, though he's benched for a lengthy period, it doesn't mean he's not important for the club's progress but the board have already moved on, making more prominent signings for the growth of the club. Neymar Jr is vulnerable to injuries and we should always know the level of capacity and expectations from the Brazilian. To me, It's over for Neymar Jr, he's unable to meet the required expectations from Al Hilal supporters, out of reach for the player.

[OcTradism]

In Al Hilal, people are still unhappy about their player, Neymar and they are not counting on this Brazilian player anymore. Neymar was out of the good form for a long time and he was mostly injured in the past however we can't blame him for it because that's because of the playing style of this player.
Now Jorge Jesus the coach of Al Hilal started talking about Neyamr and he said they will remove the name of Neymar and use Renan Lodi instead of Neyamr in the list which can show Neymar is still not in the good form.

Neymar has huge talent to succeed but he lack of professionality to be serious with his body and career. His living style affects his body and career more when he passed his 30s and now it seems that Neymar no longer cares too much about his career. Simply look at his body that is overweight, it's not a perfect body for a professional football player at highest level. Injuries can come very unfortunately but by having a bad body, Neymar can not blame his injuries on luck.

I believe that it is going to be a trouble for him and there is really no way to recover from there at all. The best thing they can do right now would be making sure that Neymar finishes his contract there, or (I know it is near impossible) find a team to get him. Even terminating his contract for cheaper than what he is owed would be fine.

Al-Hilal actually are very disappointed with their bet on Neymar and big money spent to this player while in return they got very limited contributions from him. With latest things around Neymar, chance for him to return to Europe is very small too and maybe he will have to look for another club in Saudi Professional League or return to his home land Brazil to play very last seasons in his career.

[hyudien]

Saudi Arabia is currently undergoing the 3rd round of the Asian Zone World Cup qualifiers, in their first match they faced Indonesia, and surprisingly they had to be held to a draw by Indonesia which is ranked far below them. What is in the spotlight is because Mancini (Saudi Arabia coach) complained about the playing time that the players he has in the current squad get.
https://www.saudigazette.com.sa/article/645341/Sports/Mancini-highlights-lack-of-regular-playing-time-as-key-issue-for-Saudi-players
Indeed, almost most of the players he brought for the qualifying round barely got playing minutes in the domestic league, while there are not many options for the Italian coach to find players who play regularly at the club. Of course this is difficult for the coach, because of the limited players he has. Well, this might also be an evaluation because the teams in the Saudi Pro League themselves are actively bringing in players from Europe.

[tusandii]

In Al Hilal, people are still unhappy about their player, Neymar and they are not counting on this Brazilian player anymore. Neymar was out of the good form for a long time and he was mostly injured in the past however we can't blame him for it because that's because of the playing style of this player.
Now Jorge Jesus the coach of Al Hilal started talking about Neyamr and he said they will remove the name of Neymar and use Renan Lodi instead of Neyamr in the list which can show Neymar is still not in the good form.

It's a shame,  Personally, I've always said that when a player like Ney can't play Because of such a serious injury, I know that the team had the utmost patience to allow him to come on and prove his worth, but the team's interests are different, and of course, the benefit of having a Brazilian of his level is unique, and I think that because of the respect that everyone gives him , that's the reason why they won't have his name on the shirt, I wonder how serious his injury is ? Could it be that he can't help the Brazilian team yet? For how long? They need him no matter what.

Maybe Neymar still has to do a lot of training sessions to recover his ability because he was absent for a very long time more than 1 season so it is not easy for Al Hilal to use which will later make him injured again if he is not really fit, Al Hilal already has the best players in it so even if they do not use Neymar their performance will be fine. But what is very unfortunate if Al Hilal crosses out Neymar from the list of players again Al Hilal seems to have wasted their money of 90 million euros and Neymar is only contracted for 2 seasons which means next season his contract has expired.

[Slow death]

In Al Hilal, people are still unhappy about their player, Neymar and they are not counting on this Brazilian player anymore. Neymar was out of the good form for a long time and he was mostly injured in the past however we can't blame him for it because that's because of the playing style of this player.
Now Jorge Jesus the coach of Al Hilal started talking about Neyamr and he said they will remove the name of Neymar and use Renan Lodi instead of Neyamr in the list which can show Neymar is still not in the good form.

From what I read on the Portuguese news channels, Neymar is registered to play this season, he replaced Renan Lodi and according to what I read in the Portuguese newspapers, Neymar is expected to return to play this month. I tried to search for the news in Portuguese and the closest I could find was an article on this news site:

Is Neymar back? Al-Hilal star could make Saudi Pro League return after being registered in squad - forcing fellow Brazil star to be left out

WHAT HAPPENED?

Neymar suffered a terrible injury in September of 2023 while on duty with the Brazilian national team, and the Al-Hilal star has been unable to return to the field since then. However, the Saudi Pro League side are set to register the former Barcelona star to the squad for the new season as per Saudi publication Ariyadhiah.

source: https://www.goal.com/en-in/lists/neymar-back-al-hilal-star-saudi-pro-league-return-registered-fellow-brazil-star-left-out/blt86d41291a4138fa7#cs13474e62f9c8656c

Neymar is popular and despite his constant injuries, he is a good player and the Saudis know they will make a lot of money from him. When he returns to play, the Al Hilal stadium will have a lot of people watching, the news channels will be talking about it, companies will want to sponsor Al Hilal. The Arabs will make a lot of money from signing Neymar. Just look at how a photo of Neymar on Instagram can get millions of likes. That is a very large number of attention.

Can you post a source that says Neymar was not registered?

[banana33]

I also think Al Nassr would be better off bringing in players to strengthen their defense. I don't really mind young players wanting to move to the SPL. But there are also national team coaches who have a problem with their young players pursuing a career in the SPL.
Currently, the SPL is getting more popular by bringing in top European players and it is working. Bringing in young players will increase the competition. I think it will be good enough for the development of the League.
When their League gets better, it will refute the perception of coaches who think European players pursuing a career there do not have an increase in performance.

I agree with your point about Al Nassr needing to strengthen their defense. Bringing in top European players to the SPL can definitely help improve the league's overall quality. As for national team coaches having concerns about young players moving to the SPL, I believe that exposure to different playing styles and higher levels of competition can actually benefit their development. So, I think it's a positive step for the league and for the players themselves.

[rendravolt]

Al-Hilal actually are very disappointed with their bet on Neymar and big money spent to this player while in return they got very limited contributions from him. With latest things around Neymar, chance for him to return to Europe is very small too and maybe he will have to look for another club in Saudi Professional League or return to his home land Brazil to play very last seasons in his career.

As happy as a club is to get a star player, it still can't cover up the disappointment towards its players, especially since there is no insight generated from the player on the field. I often see Neymar on social media actively attending an event and many comment on whether he is seriously injured or not because if he is in bad condition he should be able to show more respect to Al-Hilal and this seems like an arbitrary act.

In the Saudi league alone he has no control to play the match let alone return to Europe and it feels very impossible. The most realistic thing for him is to retire after making a lot of money here, even if he returns to Brazil no one can pay his salary and besides that it will only add problems for the team he is defending and I don't think that's good.