The task ahead of Russia 2018

Ali Mukhtar is considered one of the brightest stars of the Saudi team. (AP)

Arab News picks out four issues the Green Falcons will have to address in preparation for next summer’s World Cup
Drill Out The Dissent
Against Portugal, the Saudi Arabian players were accused by local media of playing “soft” while against Bulgaria, Al-Ahli left-back Mansour Al-Harbi was shown a straight red for a reckless challenge. Finding a way of balancing his side’s aggression will be key for the coach, but equally important is drilling out the dissent his players show towards officials. Osama Hawsawi was lucky not to get booked against Portugal when he screamed in the referee’s face, and Taisir Al-Jassem, who booted the ball away in anger midway through the first-half against Bulgaria, would have been shown an automatic yellow were he playing at a World Cup. Bauza knows his task is difficult — it need not be made more so by having key players needlessly putting themselves at risk of dismissal.
Resolve Striker Issue
Bauza took only three strikers to Portugal and it showed, with the team scoring just two goals in 270 minutes of football and barely managing a sniff at goal against Portugal. Mohannad Asiri and Haza Al-Hazza both proved incapable of playing the role of a lone striker when given the chance, while Mukhtar Fallatah, the out-of-favour Al-Hilal striker, scored against Latvia but knows he must break into his domestic side if he is to ensure a seat on the plane. Bauza deployed five in midfield against Bulgaria, with two roaming full-backs, but it did not produce the width or the conveyor belt of chances he would have hoped for. The return of playmaker Nawaf Al-Abed from injury will provide the much-needed creative boost in the centre of the park, but the Argentine coach will be acutely aware he must find a solution to unlocking defences.
Prepare Personnel
Bauza has four months to wait before he can get together again with his players. In that time, he said, he intends to continue scouring the country’s domestic league for talent, as well as potentially further afield. Ali Mukhtar, the Vitesse midfielder, and Faris Abdi, a 19-year-old with Virginia Cavaliers, have already been capped after making their debuts in the 3-0 defeat to Ghana, but Bauza was on the hunt for more. As well as players, agreements must be finalised for World Cup warm-up matches. Verbal deals are in place with Brazil, Argentina and Germany, but only after the draw on Dec. 1 will any final decisions be made on opposition. The goal is to play teams of similar footballing culture and level as the teams they will face in Russia.
Clear-up Communication
Against Bulgaria, Bauza grew increasingly frustrated with his inability to communicate sufficiently with his players from the sidelines. His passionate Spanish calls of “dale!” (let’s go!) and “ataque!” (attack!) seemed to be lost on his players. Numerous times, the Argentine coach threw his hands in the air and span on his heels when Ali Al-Zaqan, Saeed Al-Muwallad and Al-Jassem turned back when in promising positions on the flanks. With four months until the next round of official warm-up matches, Bauza has plenty of time to either identify a few words that all parties can understand — be it Arabic, Spanish or English — or convince his translator to help him pitch-side.