Mancini learns much, both positive and negative, in opening Green Falcons loss

Saudi Arabia manager Roberto Mancini plays the ball on the sideline during an international friendly soccer match between Costa Rica and Saudi Arabia at St. James’ Park, on Sept. 8, 2023, in Newcastle. (AP)

• Mancini left his job as Italy head coach last month and has had just four training sessions with his new players
• Green Falcons went two goals down against Costa Rica, but dug in, worked hard and got themselves back in the game

No new head coach wants to taste defeat in his first game in charge, but Roberto Mancini certainly knows more about his Saudi Arabian players after the 3-1 loss to Costa Rica on Friday. The Italian must now be aware that there is a lot of work to be done before the start of World Cup qualification in November and then January’s Asian Cup.
Those who made it to the home of Newcastle United would have seen the Central Americans take a two-goal lead just after the half-hour. Defender Ali Al-Bulaihi pulled a goal back midway through the second half. It could have ended 2-2, but Los Ticos sealed the win late in the game at St. James’ Park.
At this stage, too much should not be read into the result. This was not a home game. Indeed, Costa Rica are more than a decent team, and with a number of European and English-based players, they had a shorter distance to travel. Mancini, who left his job as Italy head coach last month after Herve Renard departed as Saudi manager in March, has had just four training sessions with his new players.
It was no surprise, then, that the man who led Manchester City to their first English Premier League titles, Inter Milan to three Serie A wins and Italy to the European Championships, kept the line-up familiar.
There were also reasons to be positive. Despite being two goals down, the Green Falcons dug in, worked hard and got themselves back in the game. If this had been a competitive match then surely the opposition would not have finished with 11 men, as some of the challenges should have been more harshly punished by the referee. There was visible frustration at times at the physical approach of the Central Americans.
And if Costa Rica had been without the returning Kaylor Navas, then it could also have been very different. The former Real Madrid goalkeeper made a number of excellent saves — from Mohamed Kanno, Salem Al-Dawsari and Hassan Tambakti and others. It was impressive stuff.
At least Saudi Arabia were creating chances, putting their fellow 2022 World Cup participants under the cosh and asking questions. In the second half, Al-Dawsari had another shot saved and from the resultant corner, Al-Bulaihi smartly headed home after very quick thinking from Firas Al-Buraikan, who not only kept the ball in play but also provided an excellent assist. Then, another Al-Dawsari shot took a deflection and looked destined for the bottom corner only for the goalkeeper to get down well and make a top-class save. It was a defining moment in the game.
Mancini will look back at defensive issues, especially from set pieces. Both first-half goals came from this route. Despite the presence of four green shirts, Francisco Calvo headed home unchallenged from close range to give the men in white the lead. There was another right-sided free-kick for the second, with three Saudi players at the far post who seemed unaware that Manfred Ugalde was stealing in behind. He also was allowed to head home from point blank range. Better communication is needed.
The former Italy coach has shown in the past that he can organize defenses, and if he can iron out these issues in the coming weeks and months then Saudi Arabia will be on the right track. It is understandable that there was some rustiness given that this was not only the coach’s debut but also the first national team game for almost six months. It was always going to be the case that the Italian was going to have to work hard to get to grips with the job.
While another friendly defeat following the two in March against Bolivia and Venezuela is disappointing, better to have a tough opener to get an idea of what needs fixing than to choose a weak opponent for the first game and stroll to a convincing, but ultimately meaningless, victory.
It does mean that Tuesday’s clash with South Korea has become more important, though. This meeting of Asian powerhouses from east and west will give both coaches, Mancini and his opposite number Jurgen Klinsmann, a good idea of where they are and what they need to do to win the Asian Cup.
There is not that much time left, but despite the result, this was not a bad start for Saudi Arabia’s new coach.