Saudi Professional League 2023/2024

[8rch7]

This is true that the expectations from Al-Nassr are settled very high. Specifically the fans of the Al-Nassr expectimg them or want to see them lift the trophy of this season. And I think in this regard Al-Nassr really puts a lot of efforts to achieve a certain or top  position. The way Al-Nassr started this season and managed their wins was very impressive. But at the same time they also experienced a decline in their performance which was somehow disturbing for the fans and the team as well. But now they again get a chance to win this season and I think they should all to make it possible as it is the golden chance for them to achieve their desired position. And now the main player of the Al-Nassr is not in the team but still there are quality players which is trying to do the best for the team.

I think normally with Al Nassr fans expectatio with theie team become the winner this season regarding team performance and fans expectated more how much money spent out to signed many top players. Al Nassr started well for this season by winning match by match until leading top position behind 3 points left from Al Nassr.
The race for winning domestic league tittle has 8 matches left and Al Nassr fans wont their team loss great chance to be the winner, I think this season Al Nassr should be the winner and Cristiano Ronaldo finally get the domestic league trophy with Al Nassr after waiting last several season.

[Nheer]

I think normally with Al Nassr fans expectatio with theie team become the winner this season regarding team performance and fans expectated more how much money spent out to signed many top players. Al Nassr started well for this season by winning match by match until leading top position behind 3 points left from Al Nassr.
The race for winning domestic league tittle has 8 matches left and Al Nassr fans wont their team loss great chance to be the winner, I think this season Al Nassr should be the winner and Cristiano Ronaldo finally get the domestic league trophy with Al Nassr after waiting last several season.

We can only hope but nothing is certain yet until it happens. I am certain that Al Nassr will do everything possible now to make sure they win this title, they have gone too far already and now they are just left with a few games until the end. If they can manage their performance and win the league title the fans will be very pleased and most importantly cristiano Ronaldo will finally be at ease because this is what he now dream of, winning the Saudi league title is one of the greatest things he wants. It won't be easy tho because other teams are still in pursuit but it's all in their hands now.

[Mindyspace]

...

Cristiano Ronaldo is a great player and all the allegations which someone is tried to associate with his personality or his services to the team are baseless or nothing but the hate for him. Because there is a lot which he did for the well being of the team and always participate in achieving great in the interest of the team. And this is true that there is a lot to criticise someone because with that intention you are unable to see the good things. But this will also not make him bother a little or even not. But his services for the team and the football are something which needs to be appreciated and praising. He is injured and it is expected that very soon he will be able to join the team and work hard to make the team achieve their desired position. And there are huge numbers of supporters for Ronaldo which always admire him and boost his confidence as the best player.

I agree that Cristiano Ronaldo is a giant player and has done a lot for the teams he's played for. You can't ignore everything he's already achieved in football.

But at the same time, I think it's normal for criticism to exist too, it's part of the game. No player is perfect. The problem is when it becomes just hate and people stop recognizing what he delivers.

But, regardless of opinions, what he has already done on the field speaks for itself. And if he comes back well from the injury, he can certainly still help the team a lot, let's see.

[MAAManda]

As the season draws to a close, the SPL is heating up, with the top teams not far apart on points. After matchday #26, Al-Nassr currently sits in first place with 67 points, followed by Al-Hilal with 64 points & Al-Ahli with 62 points in third place.

Image Source: Rollbit

Only 8 matches left, I saw on Rollbit that the bookies are offering attractive offers on outright bets, it's Al-Nassr to win the league with @1,8 odds, Al-Hilal with @3,5 & Al-Ahli with @4,0. What do you think, will choosing Al-Nassr be an easy outright bet to win?

[Gallar]

I think normally with Al Nassr fans expectatio with theie team become the winner this season regarding team performance and fans expectated more how much money spent out to signed many top players. Al Nassr started well for this season by winning match by match until leading top position behind 3 points left from Al Nassr.
The race for winning domestic league tittle has 8 matches left and Al Nassr fans wont their team loss great chance to be the winner, I think this season Al Nassr should be the winner and Cristiano Ronaldo finally get the domestic league trophy with Al Nassr after waiting last several season.

Yes,, even though I'm not a big fan of Al Nasr, I really hope they can become champions this season. Because it feels like a shame that since they brought in Ronaldo until now,, Al Nasr has not been able to win the Saudi Arabian League trophy. So that's why I also feel that if they don't win this season, it's really disappointing. Because,, as we know, Al Nasr has spent a lot of money so far, and if they still can't win, it's clearly very detrimental in my opinion. So that's why right now, maybe all of us who like to discuss in this thread must hope that Al Nasr can become champions this season. Because it's clear that we are all waiting for a historic moment where Ronaldo can lift trophies in several different leagues. But I don't know how Al Nasr will end this season,, so I will just hope for them.

[Lida93]

This is true that the expectations from Al-Nassr are settled very high. Specifically the fans of the Al-Nassr expectimg them or want to see them lift the trophy of this season. And I think in this regard Al-Nassr really puts a lot of efforts to achieve a certain or top  position. The way Al-Nassr started this season and managed their wins was very impressive. But at the same time they also experienced a decline in their performance which was somehow disturbing for the fans and the team as well. But now they again get a chance to win this season and I think they should all to make it possible as it is the golden chance for them to achieve their desired position. And now the main player of the Al-Nassr is not in the team but still there are quality players which is trying to do the best for the team.

I think normally with Al Nassr fans expectatio with theie team become the winner this season regarding team performance and fans expectated more how much money spent out to signed many top players. Al Nassr started well for this season by winning match by match until leading top position behind 3 points left from Al Nassr.
The race for winning domestic league tittle has 8 matches left and Al Nassr fans wont their team loss great chance to be the winner, I think this season Al Nassr should be the winner and Cristiano Ronaldo finally get the domestic league trophy with Al Nassr after waiting last several season.

It's quite normal for the fans to expect much from the team they support, and for the Al Nasr fans to expect their team to win the trophy shows how much to trust their team, if it weren't so then they wouldn't be requesting such a very big task from the team. Actually am not surprised with the way things are going in the Saudi professional league, because to whom much is given much is expected, and if the Al Nasr side aren't capable or look capable then the fans wouldn't have bothered, one of the reason where they are this curious is because of the presence of the Portuguese legend, Christiano Ronaldo who is a very important player in the squad.

[$weetne$$]

Managers don't give much importance to these matches, which is why they struggle against smaller teams in cup matches even though they do well in their domestic top league. I'm not looking down on Al-Ahli and ignoring them as weak opponents. Rather, I'm questioning Al-Hilal's ability, did they use their full potential? Probably not. These matches are not really ideal for betting, the final result often surprises us.

Not like they do not give actual importance to these matches, but they probably try to conserve and utilize the players strength in games like this as a strategy to still keep fit for the league games ahead, so most often a time it looks like they do not place importance on these games, it is just a tactical approach and nothing much but  to still keeping the team in their best shape.

[Solodoski]

It's quite normal for the fans to expect much from the team they support, and for the Al Nasr fans to expect their team to win the trophy shows how much to trust their team, if it weren't so then they wouldn't be requesting such a very big task from the team. Actually am not surprised with the way things are going in the Saudi professional league, because to whom much is given much is expected, and if the Al Nasr side aren't capable or look capable then the fans wouldn't have bothered, one of the reason where they are this curious is because of the presence of the Portuguese legend, Christiano Ronaldo who is a very important player in the squad.

Suddenly the fans have every reason to support their team. There was time this same Al-Nassr fans felt discourage, they were raging down the tunnel when they dropped a valid point. Al-Hilal took the lead before dropping points too. One interesting thing about football is, the bumpy ride towards winning trophies. At a point, fans will be emotional, almost to the point of giving up. That is the thrilling nature of football. Al-Nassr is going to win the Saudi Pro league but not without this ups and down. The end will justify the means.

[Gallar]

Suddenly the fans have every reason to support their team. There was time this same Al-Nassr fans felt discourage, they were raging down the tunnel when they dropped a valid point. Al-Hilal took the lead before dropping points too. One interesting thing about football is, the bumpy ride towards winning trophies. At a point, fans will be emotional, almost to the point of giving up. That is the thrilling nature of football. Al-Nassr is going to win the Saudi Pro league but not without this ups and down. The end will justify the means.

It's the twists and turns that make football so exciting,, because without them, it's clear that football wouldn't be as exciting to watch. So, it's certainly good that there's a lot of competition and drama in a football league. If there weren't intense competition and drama in a league, I don't think the league would be in good shape. Typically,, a football league like that is dominated by just one or two teams, and that's clear from the Saudi Arabian League in the past few seasons, which was dominated by Al Hilal.

But now,, everything has changed in the Saudi Arabian League, because now it's not just Al Hilal who are contenders for the title, but also Al Nasr, Al Ahli, and even Al Qadisiyah are also participating in this fierce competition. Therefore, I think the Saudi Arabian League is getting better and better, because the competition in this league is no longer limited to just one team as the champion candidate. And Al Nasr is currently at the top of the standings, and even so,, we won't know for sure until the season actually ends. So this is sure to be very exciting.

[Tamaperdana]

This season,, Benzema's performance seems to be declining, as he's rarely scoring goals, a stark contrast to previous seasons. With this in mind, I believe Benzema's golden age may be over, as he's likely quite old now, and he's also very different from Ronaldo, whose performance remains impressive despite his age. Given this,, I believe Benzema will likely retire soon, given the current situation.

I believe he's fortunate enough to be brought in by Al Hilal. Considering his current performance,, bringing in Benzema might not make Al Hilal a great team. Essentially, I'm not entirely sure why Benzema's performance has deteriorated,, but I suspect he's lost his enthusiasm. His facial expression is very different from before, so perhaps Benzema is simply pursuing a money in football.

[dezoel]

This season,, Benzema's performance seems to be declining, as he's rarely scoring goals, a stark contrast to previous seasons. With this in mind, I believe Benzema's golden age may be over, as he's likely quite old now, and he's also very different from Ronaldo, whose performance remains impressive despite his age. Given this,, I believe Benzema will likely retire soon, given the current situation.

I believe he's fortunate enough to be brought in by Al Hilal. Considering his current performance,, bringing in Benzema might not make Al Hilal a great team. Essentially, I'm not entirely sure why Benzema's performance has deteriorated,, but I suspect he's lost his enthusiasm. His facial expression is very different from before, so perhaps Benzema is simply pursuing a money in football.

Well, he is getting older, while it's true that Ronaldo still scores at even older age, we can't expect everyone to be Ronaldo. Even when they played together, Ronaldo was better, so it's understandable that Benzema would be worse.

Declining is normal at these ages, and you are going to see sharper and sharper fall from him. The gap is still not too wide, it's only three points and Al Hilal could end up with a proper return to form and even be the first place if they keep playing well enough.

[barbara44]

Expecting from Benzema to play like he did at Real Madrid would be silly. It is not just about talent, he is talented, it is not just about age, he is young enough for Saudi league level. It's about mindset, he is making enough money to not worry about anything anymore, doubt that Saudis would be cheap and not pay out, they will pay the players well, and that means this dude has hundreds of millions in his bank account, or at least he has investments worth that much.

So he doesn't have to play well, he doesn't have to score, he doesn't have to worry about fans, there are no proper fans anyways. All he has to do is show up, get paid and he will be doing fine without much trouble, he is going to get great results with time.

[Dump3er]

Expecting from Benzema to play like he did at Real Madrid would be silly. It is not just about talent, he is talented, it is not just about age, he is young enough for Saudi league level. It's about mindset, he is making enough money to not worry about anything anymore, doubt that Saudis would be cheap and not pay out, they will pay the players well, and that means this dude has hundreds of millions in his bank account, or at least he has investments worth that much.

So he doesn't have to play well, he doesn't have to score, he doesn't have to worry about fans, there are no proper fans anyways. All he has to do is show up, get paid and he will be doing fine without much trouble, he is going to get great results with time.

And what is also important to note is that the players you are playing with make a huge difference. Benzema had some of the best midfielders in football history while he was playing for Real Madrid and it is therefore far more likely that these midfielders assist players in the best possible way. Al Hilal is not a bad team, but to be serious, they are not like Real Madrid back then. There are so many things that decide whether a striker can perform well or not.

So far Benzema scored 13 goals in 19 matches, which I think is still ok and an acceptable performance. In terms of money, he does of course not have to worry anymore. The salaries there are just sick and a dream becoming true for every player.

[Sithara007]

Expecting from Benzema to play like he did at Real Madrid would be silly. It is not just about talent, he is talented, it is not just about age, he is young enough for Saudi league level. It's about mindset, he is making enough money to not worry about anything anymore, doubt that Saudis would be cheap and not pay out, they will pay the players well, and that means this dude has hundreds of millions in his bank account, or at least he has investments worth that much.

So he doesn't have to play well, he doesn't have to score, he doesn't have to worry about fans, there are no proper fans anyways. All he has to do is show up, get paid and he will be doing fine without much trouble, he is going to get great results with time.

Don't underestimate the Saudis. The player contract has two parts. One is the fixed salary and the other is variable pay. And the second part is dependent upon the performance of the player. So it is not like Benzema can afford to underperform. And from what I have seen during the last 2-3 years, the Saudi Professional League matches have remained fiercely competitive (especially the matches involving teams that are funded by the PIF). He may not have to worry about the fans, but obviously he need to worry about his bonus payout and also about his reputation.

[Tamaperdana]

This season,, Benzema's performance seems to be declining, as he's rarely scoring goals, a stark contrast to previous seasons. With this in mind, I believe Benzema's golden age may be over, as he's likely quite old now, and he's also very different from Ronaldo, whose performance remains impressive despite his age. Given this,, I believe Benzema will likely retire soon, given the current situation.

I believe he's fortunate enough to be brought in by Al Hilal. Considering his current performance,, bringing in Benzema might not make Al Hilal a great team. Essentially, I'm not entirely sure why Benzema's performance has deteriorated,, but I suspect he's lost his enthusiasm. His facial expression is very different from before, so perhaps Benzema is simply pursuing a money in football.

Well, he is getting older, while it's true that Ronaldo still scores at even older age, we can't expect everyone to be Ronaldo. Even when they played together, Ronaldo was better, so it's understandable that Benzema would be worse.

Declining is normal at these ages, and you are going to see sharper and sharper fall from him. The gap is still not too wide, it's only three points and Al Hilal could end up with a proper return to form and even be the first place if they keep playing well enough.

Yes, if you think about it more deeply, your statement is true, because basically, people who can be like Ronaldo are very rare, and even as far as I know, the one who can play well at the age of 40 is clearly only Ronaldo. Because besides Ronaldo, I don't know any other player who can have such great performance at such an old age. Because even his teammate at Real Madrid, Benzema, can't match Ronaldo now and yes, that's very natural. Besides talking about Benzema, you are right that currently the point difference between Al Hilal and Al Nasr is very thin.

So I also agree with your assumption that Al Nasr can still be shifted from their position if they can't maintain their best performance. Because currently there are still many matches left and if Al Nasr makes a mistake, it will definitely be used well by Al Hilal. So, given this, I don't think Al Nasr should be too happy right now, as the competition is still ongoing. But even so, I personally still have hope for Al Nasr to become champions.

[snipie]

So I also agree with your assumption that Al Nasr can still be shifted from their position if they can't maintain their best performance. Because currently there are still many matches left and if Al Nasr makes a mistake, it will definitely be used well by Al Hilal. So, given this, I don't think Al Nasr should be too happy right now, as the competition is still ongoing. But even so, I personally still have hope for Al Nasr to become champions.

We are talking about 8 matches left so 24 points to collect while the points difference between Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are just 3 points so easy to catch.
Al-Nassr has no excuses this season other than winning the title. As for Al-Hilal, they have a huge chance to win King Cup of Champions. Their opponent is so lucky there to reach the final game.
By the way, Cristiano Ronaldo is posting updates about his injury and is reassuring his fans. He must be pissed off for not scoring goals against Al-Khaleej five goals.

[MRY]

Yes, if you think about it more deeply, your statement is true, because basically, people who can be like Ronaldo are very rare, and even as far as I know, the one who can play well at the age of 40 is clearly only Ronaldo. Because besides Ronaldo, I don't know any other player who can have such great performance at such an old age. Because even his teammate at Real Madrid, Benzema, can't match Ronaldo now and yes, that's very natural. Besides talking about Benzema, you are right that currently the point difference between Al Hilal and Al Nasr is very thin.

So I also agree with your assumption that Al Nasr can still be shifted from their position if they can't maintain their best performance. Because currently there are still many matches left and if Al Nasr makes a mistake, it will definitely be used well by Al Hilal. So, given this, I don't think Al Nasr should be too happy right now, as the competition is still ongoing. But even so, I personally still have hope for Al Nasr to become champions.

This exceptional strength in body even at this old age shows that extreme discipline is not an easy thing in the world of professional sport in our days. I have noted that the high rivalry in the current league scenario requires a level of consistency to make sure that most of the nearest competitors do not take over the highest position. Admittedly, the smallest slip can contribute to one the golden opportunity to turn the tide on the side of the opponent. We will be looking forward to their battle to win the championship.

[$weetne$$]

So I also agree with your assumption that Al Nasr can still be shifted from their position if they can't maintain their best performance. Because currently there are still many matches left and if Al Nasr makes a mistake, it will definitely be used well by Al Hilal. So, given this, I don't think Al Nasr should be too happy right now, as the competition is still ongoing. But even so, I personally still have hope for Al Nasr to become champions.

Al Hilal is on the look out to displace Al Nassr, I believe too well that Al Nassr does have and know.what that will mean and the consistency in the performance and result of Al Nassr is the only way to staying at the top of the table till they win the title this season as expected by a lot of people.

[Mrbluntzy]

Expecting from Benzema to play like he did at Real Madrid would be silly. It is not just about talent, he is talented, it is not just about age, he is young enough for Saudi league level. It's about mindset, he is making enough money to not worry about anything anymore, doubt that Saudis would be cheap and not pay out, they will pay the players well, and that means this dude has hundreds of millions in his bank account, or at least he has investments worth that much.

So he doesn't have to play well, he doesn't have to score, he doesn't have to worry about fans, there are no proper fans anyways. All he has to do is show up, get paid and he will be doing fine without much trouble, he is going to get great results with time.

Karim Benzema is not old, not now. He's strong enough for the fierce competition in the Saudi Pro League. This is football we're talking about here and there have been quite important changes in these settings. Do you think Al Hilal are lucky to have Benzema? Ofcourse yes because he's pure attacker, he bang important goals for the club and seen himself climb to the very top phase of football. I'll always rate the frenchman base on his stats in European football, he's no average but an experience player which most players looked up to.

[Sithara007]

Karim Benzema is not old, not now. He's strong enough for the fierce competition in the Saudi Pro League. This is football we're talking about here and there have been quite important changes in these settings. Do you think Al Hilal are lucky to have Benzema? Ofcourse yes because he's pure attacker, he bang important goals for the club and seen himself climb to the very top phase of football. I'll always rate the frenchman base on his stats in European football, he's no average but an experience player which most players looked up to.

I don't have the opinion that he is too old to play. But at the same time, I would say that his fitness levels are not as good as that of Cristiano Ronaldo. Benzema had his fair share of injury issues during the last few years. And he was transferred specifically to Al Hilal (from Al Ittihad) by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), to sabotage Al Nassr's chances of becoming the champions this time. Despite all that, ever since he joined Al Hilal's position in the points table has dropped (from first place to third place). Al Ahli has overtaken them to take the second position in the table.