Saudi Arabia coach Bauza bullish after defeat in Portugal

Saudi Arabia were very much second best against Portugal on Friday. (AFP)

VISEU, Portugal: Edgardo Bauza lost his first official match in charge of Saudi Arabia, but insisted there is plenty of time for improvement before next summer’s World Cup. 
In terms of a contest, the 3-0 defeat to Portugal amid the mountains of Viseu was as one-sided as the machines at the fun fair with the mechanical claws and the cuddly toys — there was only ever going to be one winner. 
But goals from Manuel Fernandes, Gonçlo Guedes and João Mario only told half the story — Portugal’s dominance was unequivocal and the defeat could have been heavier. Yet despite Bauza’s challenge being made all the clearer, the Argentine coach remained optimistic ahead of next summer’s challenge. 
“We played with one forward and a line of five defenders because that’s all we could do in such a short time,” said Bauza, who replaced Bert van Marwijk after the Dutchman led the side to next summer’s tournament.
“We have had little time to work together and we knew that if we played in a more open way we could suffer a lot against a strong team like Portugal. But we are calm, we have eight more months to improve.”
The European champions were without Cristiano Ronaldo, but his replacement adorning the No. 7 shirt did his chances of visiting Russia no harm. Gonçalo Guedes, the PSG attacker on loan at Valencia, continually popped up in dangerous positions and repeatedly exploited the Saudi wing-backs, Yasir Al-Shahrani and Mohammed Al-Burayk.
João Mario’s early strike at goal was deflected onto the post, while Danilo and Andre Silva were both guilty of missing good chances in the first half, with the former twice blasting off target despite being afforded time to compose himself. Eventually it was Manuel Fernandes, returning to the national team for the first time in five years, who opened the scoring. Guedes got to the byline before cutting back to the Lokomotiv Moscow midfielder, who calmly slotted first-time past Mohammed Al-Owais in the 32nd minute.
“We played against a team with consolidated tactics and that has been working together for a long time,” Bauza told Arab News. “In contrast, we are still in the initial phase of our work and this difference was noticeable. We’ve only had two months together and we have a lot to do in order to arrive at the World Cup in a form better than the one we presented here.”
The Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) is keen to farm out on loan as many national team players as possible before next summer in order for them to gain European experience. On Friday, around 20 scouts, including nine from Spain’s La Liga as well as representatives of Chelsea, Watford and Borussia Dortmund, were crammed inside the 15,000-seat Estádio Municipal do Fontelo.
Such was Portugal’s dominance, few visiting players will have caught the eye. Debutant striker Hazaa Al-Hazaa was isolated, while Salem Al-Dawsari rarely got a foot on the ball and Ali Al-Khaibari, deployed as a defensive midfielder, was dragged around the pitch like a lapdog in the hands of an obnoxious child. Abdullah Otayf, the Al-Hilal midfielder, fared slightly better, yet opportunities to show his excellent first touch and vision were limited by the pressing Portuguese.
Guedes added his side’s second shortly after the interval when Porto’s Ricardo Pereira picked him out from the byline. Saudi managed to stabilize without ever looking like getting back in the game. While Guedes enjoyed six shots on target, Saudi failed to manage a single strike at goal. In added time and with the visitors tiring, João Mário added a deserved third.
“It was a preparation game for us,” the Inter Milan midfielder told Arab News. “With many young players and against an organized Saudi team that has good players and will go to the World Cup, it was a good test. They are a team that can be in our group, so it was good to get to know their game a little.”
Bauza added: “We tried to play. We wanted to play, to learn, to analyze. We are integrating new players and these games serve to see how they behave and help us see who we will select for the World Cup. Against Portugal, we played one way, against Latvia another and against Bulgaria (tomorrow) we will play another again.”