In the summer of 2023, a whole team of the best soccer players went to Saudi Arabia, from Karim Benzema to Malcolm. The league is growing rapidly. But not only at the expense of the players, but also at the expense of the coaches. Several interesting specialists work in the Saudi championship. One of them even enters the top of the highest paid coaches in the world. Under whose leadership does Ronaldo play and who will work with Malcolm in the new season?
“Abha” – Cheslav Mikhnevich
Cheslav Mikhnevich
Photo: Abha FC
The club is not included in the top of the strongest teams in the league. Their main star is former Lazio and Lokomotiv striker Felipe Caicedo. In the 2022/2023 season, Abha was ranked 12th. In the summer, the club decided to change. “Abhu” was led by the Polish coach Cheslav Mikhnevich. Interestingly, the 53-year-old specialist was born in the USSR, in the Grodno region of the Byelorussian SSR.
Mikhnevich is known to the Russian fans for his work with Legia and the Polish national team. It was he who led the team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Poles advanced to the playoffs, but lost in the round of 16 to France. And with Legia, Cheslav played in the Europa League – 2021/2022, facing Spartak in the group stage. Together with Mikhnevich, Grzegorz Krychowiak, his compatriot, champion of Russia as part of Lokomotiv, arrived in Abkha. Will the Poles be able to perform confidently in the league with Cristiano, Benzema and Malcolm?
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Al-Fateh – Slaven Bilic
Bilic Slave
Photo: Nigel Roddis/Getty Images
In the last season of the Saudi Arabian championship, Al-Fateh flew to sixth place. It wasn’t a bad result, but the club decided to change managers. In July Slaven Bilic arrived. Another coach from Eastern Europe, well known to the Russian public. Bilic saved Russia with the Croatian national team, beating England in the last round of qualifying for Euro 2008, thanks to which our team took bronze. And in 2012, Slaven came to Lokomotiv. But in the RPL, the Croatian did not do well – the final ninth place in the 2012/2013 season. Denis Glushakov called Bilich the weakest specialist in his career.
After Loko, the coach changed several clubs: Besiktas, West Ham, West Bromwich, Watford, Beijing Guoan, and in 2018 he already visited Saudi Arabia for a year, in Al-Ittihad. ” Now Bilic is working with the club more easily. Al-Fateh’s main summer acquisition is Jason Denayer, who previously played for Manchester City, Galatasaray and Lyon.Former Barcelona winger Christian Tello also plays for Bilic’s new club.
“Al-Feiha” – Vuk Rashovich
Vuk Rashovich
Photo: FIFA.com
Another humble club. At the end of the 2022/2023 season, the team was ranked 11th. Serbian coach Vuk Rasovic works at Al Feih. It is interesting that in 2002-2003, being an active football player, he played for Wings of the Soviets. After completing his career, he worked at Dynamo Minsk from 2014 to 2016 (first as a sports director, then as a coach).
Rashovich has been working at Al Feih since 2021, but this summer, RB Sport reported Dynamo Moscow’s interest in the Serb. The blue and whites studied the market: the club talked about collaboration with Marko Nikolic and Milos Milojevic. As a result, Dynamo was managed by the Czech Marcel Lichka and Rashovich remained in Saudi Arabia. In 2022, Vuk won the Copa del Rey with Al Feiha, the only trophy in the club’s history. So Rashovich is appreciated, why would he leave the place where he is loved?
Until this summer, famous football players have already lit up in Saudi Arabia! Until the CSKA legend:
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Al Hilal – Georges Jesus
george jesus
Photo: Al Hilal FC
Last season’s bronze medalist is one of the top favorites for the upcoming championship. A scattering of stars came to Al-Hilal: Kalidou Coulibaly, Sergei Milinkovich-Savic, Ruben Neves and most importantly Malcolm. But quality players don’t organize the game themselves. For these purposes, an authorized trainer, Jorge Jesús, was called to Al-Hilal.
The Portuguese specialist is best known for his work with Benfica. Jesus spent the 2022/2023 season at Fenerbahce but failed to win any trophies with the club. And he went to conquer the Middle East. Interestingly, this is Jorge’s second visit to Al-Hilal. Previously, he worked for the team in the 2018/2019 season, after leaving Sporting. Then the Portuguese won the Super Cup, and a year later he went to Flamengo, with whom he won the Brazilian championship and the Copa Libertadores.
Overall, Jesus is quite an experienced and charismatic coach who will have no problem working with Al-Hilal’s stars. An excellent choice for a club whose ambition is to fight for gold.
Al-Ittihad – Nuno Espirito Santo
Nuno Holy Spirit
Photo: Al Ittihad FC
The current champion of Saudi Arabia, who did not allow Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nasr to take the gold. Al-Ittihad became the strongest team under the leadership of Nuno Espirito Santo. The Portuguese specialist is one of the most famous coaches in the league. During his playing career, Nuno had a brief spell with Dinamo, as well as a stint with Porto, with whom he won four titles and three Cups, as well as the Champions League and the UEFA Cup.
But the coaching career stands out decent. Nuno has already worked with Valencia, Porto, Tottenham and Wolverhampton. However, things did not go well for Spurs and Espirita Santo was sacked in the fall of 2021. After resting for almost a year, in the summer of 2022, the Portuguese left for Saudi Arabia. And he won the first two trophies in his coaching career: the championship and the Super Bowl.
Next season, Al-Ittihad will continue to be a storm for the rivals. The club was reinforced with Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Jota and Fabinho. Powerful composition!
The former Spartak manager spoke about working in Saudi Arabia before the league went mainstream:
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Al Nasr – Luis Manuel Castro
luis manuel castro
Photo: Al Nassr FC
The last championship silver medalist and the team that started the transfer frenzy in Saudi Arabia. It was in Al-Nasr that Cristiano Ronaldo left at the end of 2022. Naturally, the Portuguese is not satisfied that the team took second place in the 2022/2023 championship. Even though Al-Nasr was previously trained by a great specialist, Rudy Garcia, he was fired. By the way, then the Frenchman went to Napoli (it says a lot about his level). And in Al-Nasr they called Cristiano’s compatriot, Luis Manuel Castro. From 2019 to 2021, the coach worked at Shakhtar, and before the Saudi club, he managed Botafogo.
Castro is familiar with the ins and outs of Middle Eastern soccer. Right between Shakhtar and Botafogo, he visited Qatar, heading to Al-Duhail. So the Saudi Arabian championship will not be a revelation for Luis. Also, in addition to Ronaldo, he now has several top players: Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana, and Sadio Mane will soon join them.
Al-Nasr will not make an all-star team. The strict rules will not allow:
The superstars expect a tougher cap than the Russian. How does the Saudi Arabian championship work?
“Al Ittifaq” Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard (right)
Photo: Ettifaq FC
One of the most unexpected appointments of the summer. Steven Gerrard’s career has taken off quickly: great job with Rangers, a move to the Premier League. But it didn’t work out at Aston Villa. And Gerrard was waiting for offers. As a result, he came from Saudi Arabia. Yes, what else!
Stephen signed a contract with Al-Ittifaq, making him the fourth highest paid manager in the world. The salary of an Englishman is about 19 million euros a year. Only Diego Simeone (Atlético, 36 million euros), Josep Guardiola (Manchester City, 23.5 million euros) and Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool, 19 million euros) are ahead. The Saudis have shown insane generosity towards the English soccer legend.
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Interestingly, Al-Ittifaq took Gerrard’s heir Jordan Henderson from Liverpool. The 33-year-old footballer decided to earn some extra money at the end of his career and accepted the offer (a three-year contract, a salary of more than 40 million euros a year). Now two Liverpool legends will try to bring the winning DNA of Al Ittifaq.
Al Ahly – Matthias Jaisle
Matias Jaisle
Photo: Jasmin Walter/Getty Images
Al Ahly is one of the biggest clubs in Saudi Arabia. But the team spent the last season in the First Division. However, he successfully returned to the elite. Several prominent Premier League players immediately arrived at Al Ahly: Edouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Riyad Mahrez and Allan Sainte-Maximin. And this gang was headed by the German specialist Matthias Jaisle.
The coach is only 35 years old, they called him “the new Nagelsmann.” In 2015, he started his career at RB Leipzig, where he worked with youth. After Jaisle, he trained youngsters in Brondby and Salzburg, as well as the Liefering (the bull farm club). In 2021, he was entrusted to the Salzburg main team, where he proved to be a powerful specialist.
Yaisle was quietly preparing with Red Bull for the new season, when suddenly an offer came from Saudi Arabia. He seduced Mattias, and a couple of days before the start of the Austrian championship, the coach went to Al-Ahly. Interestingly, in 2021, Ralph Rangnik called Yaisle to Lokomotiv, but he turned down the offer. But he now he went to a “fat” contract in Saudi Arabia.
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