Former Ligue 1 superstar Eden Hazard has recently responded to the statements of Al-Nassr legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo, who has suggested that the Saudi Professional League has already surpassed the French top flight.
“I don’t agree with him, but it’s just an opinion. The fact is that today, if you look at the Saudi Pro League, there are great players. But they are not great teams. In France, there are perhaps fewer great players, but they are more of a team. I am sure that if a Ligue 1 team plays against a Saudi team Saudi Arabia, they will win. Maybe not as easily as people think, but I think so.“
According to what Hazard said “they are not great teams“, it is unlikely that he is actually following the SPL.
While it is true that signing big players doesn’t necessarily make your team great, but in this case, he can just take a look at the work being done by Jorge Jesus at Al-Hilal, who have lost their biggest superstar in Neymar, and have still been able to create a system of play that destroys anyone that comes near them, thanks to their tactical display and commitment, way more than blockbuster names.
He can also take look at Al-Nassr, led by Luis Castro, and how the latter has implemented his ideas to make the capital club play as a group.
When it comes to what he said about Ligue 1 clubs being expected to beat Arabian teams, there is actually nobody who watches football think that Stade Brest, who rank 2nd in the French championship, would have more chances to beat Al-Nassr, who are placed in the same spot in the SPL, with all due respect to the French team, that is realizing an amazing season under the lead of Eric Roy.
Paris Saint-Germain is the only club that stand out of the Ligue 1 teams, and even PSG, with most of their starting players have not been able to beat Al-Nassr, without Sadio Mané, Otavio, Aymeric Laporte, Alex Telles and David Ospina, as the two teams have played in the pre-season.
A friendly game does not tell the whole story, sure, but it still shows some glimpses, most notably when teams play with their starting players.
With this being said, Al-Nassr are far behind the league leaders Al-Hilal, who are surpassing every club in the continent, reaching 22-game winning streak.
Otavio: The Gift from Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr
Al-Nassr coach: “We will start an 18 years old keeper, if…”
Did Al-Nassr midfielder hear about Casemiro news?
Image Credits: @SPL & @SPL_EN on X.
Saudi World Football 
Leave a comment