Al-Riyadh Club's management announced today a decisive decision to terminate the contractual relationship with the first team's head coach, Uruguayan Daniel Carreño . This decision comes at a very sensitive time, aiming to correct the team's performance and try to salvage the situation before it's too late in the current season's competitions, in response to a wave of fan anger and administrative concern due to the alarming decline in results.
Disastrous figures hastened the departure
The dismissal came as no surprise to those following Saudi sports, as the team, under Carreño's leadership, suffered from a lack of goals and a clear defensive disorganization. The statistics reveal the extent of the problem: the Uruguayan coach failed to secure a single victory in the 12 official matches he managed. The team only managed to collect a mere 4 points out of a possible 36, a very poor tally that falls far short of the club's ambitions and the coach's own history. The team suffered 8 heavy defeats and 4 draws, placing them in a precarious position in the league standings.
Carreno: A long history and a painful reality
Daniel Carreno is a prominent name in Saudi football, having achieved unforgettable successes, most notably leading Al-Nassr to the league title and Crown Prince Cup double in 2014. This earned him immense popularity and the nickname "The Godfather" among fans. However, his current experience with Al-Riyadh has proven that history alone is not enough in the ever-changing world of football, and that past successes are no guarantee for a coach if tactical solutions are lacking on the pitch. This failure reflects the significant challenge facing top coaches when leading teams striving to establish themselves amidst the rapid development and fierce competition currently witnessed in Saudi football, which is attracting international stars.
Dolac... a bet on internal stability
In a move aimed at quickly containing the crisis, the club's management entrusted the task to Mauricio Dulac , the youth team (under-21) coach, to take over the technical leadership temporarily until the end of the season. This choice is a logical solution for several reasons, most notably Dulac's close knowledge of the players' capabilities and his ability to promote young talents who could inject new blood into the first team, in addition to providing the necessary time for team cohesion that any new foreign coach arriving at this short notice might lack.
Challenges of the next stage
Dolac faces a tough challenge in restoring the players' lost confidence, rebuilding the team's defense, and finding a long-lost attacking identity. Fans of the "Central School" hope this change will be the positive shock that puts the team back on the winning track, especially since the remaining matches are crucial and require securing as many points as possible to guarantee survival and improve the overall image of the historic capital club.
