The reporter reported coldly On March 12, the Saudi Football Association announced the 27-man squad for the March 18 match against the national football team and Japan, and coach Hainach recruited 11 "newcomers" who had never been selected for the round of 18.
Four of them, Boishal, Shanketti, Moussa and Ammar, passed the Gulf Cup and were shortlisted again this time, and five others have never been selected. Salim, the 32-year-old who is still a newcomer in the Saudi league this season, is the most eye-catching, and the 19-year-old goalkeeper Shankiti, who has just won the runner-up of the U20 Asian Cup with the team as the main goalkeeper, the young midfielder Juhani of the Saudi secondary league Niom team, and the 21-year-old right winger Saad who just joined the French second division team Dunkirk from Niom at the beginning of the year are all new faces that the Saudi media did not expect before.
After the Gulf Cup at the end of last year, Hainach publicly stated that he would increase the blood change of the Saudi team. Veterans over the age of 30 include former main goalkeeper Owais, defenders Breihi, Shahrani, Ghanham, midfielder Al-Malki and striker Shehri were not selected, while the regular international goalkeeper Rubaiyi, defender Amri, midfielders Al-Haibari, Faraj, Muwaleed, and striker Abdullatif were not included in the squad in the round of 18. Goalkeeper Owais and midfielder Malecki were not selected in the starting line-up of last year's away national football team, and substitutes Muwalid and Malan were also not selected.
Among the 11 newcomers, Salim (10 goals, 3 assists), the Saudi league's homegrown golden boot (10 goals, 3 assists) and Jeddah national defender Majrash, have been selected for a long time, and the media has long called for them to be called. In the goalkeeper position, Hainach gave up Owais and Rubaii, who were on the bench in Riyadh Crescent, and chose the goalkeeper of the Buraidah Pioneers team, Suyule, who was selected for the national team for the first time, and the young goalkeeper Shankiti, who won the runner-up of the U20 Asian Cup with the national youth team as the main player. The 23-year-old became the main goalkeeper of the Buraidah Pioneers this season after the injury of Portugal's main goalkeeper Moreira, conceding 34 goals in 20 league games; The 19-year-old has been shortlisted twice before but has never played.
Saudi Arabia's dark horse Al-Qadishiya became the big winner, in addition to goalkeeper Kasar, 23-year-old main central defender Takri, and 25-year-old main left winger Ammar were all selected. Cadicia has conceded just 20 goals this season, and Takri, who has made 21 appearances, has been the absolute hero. Ammar, on the other hand, has 3 goals and 5 assists in 22 league games, and although he made his debut for the national team in 2019, he has not been selected since the Gulf Cup in early 2023. Goalkeeper Casal has been on the bench at club level by Belgian foreign player Castills, but he still has a lot of trust in the national team.
Jeddah Nationals' 23-year-old winger Juhani has scored two goals in 21 league games this season and two goals in eight games in the AFC Champions League. Saudi Arabia's second-tier team Niom contributed 23-year-old main midfielder Ghamdi and 21-year-old Saad, who only joined Dunkirk in Ligue 2 in the winter. Saad played 15 games in the first half of the Saudi second division and has made seven appearances since joining Ligue 2, scoring his maiden goal. Due to the difficulty of local players in the Saudi league to obtain the main position, Hainach was forced to choose two newcomers with only experience in the secondary league to join the national team.
In addition to Assad, the other three Saudi players in Europe were also selected, but including the main fullback Abdullah Hamid (Roma), midfielder Faisal Ghamdi, and striker Sahafi (Antwerp Lions, Liga), they could not play the main team in the club, but after all, they have experience in Europe, and it is not surprising that they were selected.
At present, there are five newcomers to the national team, substitute goalkeeper Suyule, defender Takri, midfielder Juhani, right winger Saad and local golden boot Salim, and only Salim has the opportunity to make his debut in the round of 18.
In addition to the necessary metabolism, the Saudi team's injury problems also need to be addressed. They will start training in Riyadh on March 16, but the Riyadh Victory international has suffered a lot of injuries, and defenders Rajami and Boushal and midfielder Yahya are on the list, but they are not sure if they will be able to make it in time. In addition, defender Garnum, midfielders Haibari and Ali Hassan have been omitted due to injury. In this weekend's Saudi league, Hainach is hoping that there will be no new injuries.