The Al-Taawoun Fall
Few clubs have fallen as fast as Al-Taawoun this season. Last season they finished 6th with 53 points from 34 matches (15 wins, 8 draws, 11 losses). Now they sit rooted in the relegation zone, winless, with just three points from eight fixtures.
So, What Went Wrong in Buraydah?
A Season That Never Started
The campaign opened with a 2-3 loss at Al Kholood, a 0-0 draw with Al-Fayha, a 1-2 defeat at Al Nassr, a goalless draw with Al Fateh and a 0-1 loss at Al Hazem. Draws and narrow defeats were frustrating, but the damage came next.
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The Al-Hilal Humiliation
Al-Taawoun then lost 0-6 at home to Al-Hilal. The result ended Zarko Lazetic’s spell as head coach: the club parted ways with him after that heavy defeat, before the international break.
Another Defeat Under Rasovic
Experienced Saudi Pro League coach Vuk Rasovic took over, but the turnaround hasn’t arrived. On October 11, Al-Taawoun lost 3-0 at Al-Shabab, who played much of the game with ten men and picked up their first league win of the season. It was a match between two winless sides, and Al-Taawoun came out the worse.
The Numbers Tell The Story
After seven games, they had scored just 3 goals and conceded 12. The Shabab defeat pushes that to 3 scored and 15 conceded across eight matches. The attack has dried up, and the defence is leaking.
Heavy Reliance on a Single Scorer
While forward Roger Martínez had a stellar campaign (topping the team’s scoring charts with 23 goals) last season, Al Taawoun struggled heavily whenever he was neutralised or marked out of the game. Behind him, the drop-off in goalscoring was steep. Players like Angelo Fulgini and winger Mohammed Al Kuwaykibi provided creative output, but the team lacked a consistent secondary reliable goal threat to share the scoring burden. With Martinez moving to Al- Shabab, Al-Taawoun are finding it extremely difficult to score.
Squad Changes & Turnover
Integrating new faces into the squad disrupted their tactical continuity. While midfielders like Aschraf El Mahdioui and Oscar Dorley anchored the centre of the pitch, and creative inputs came from players like Nedim Bajrami, the constant shifting of pieces in the starting XI has hurt their defensive stability, putting immense pressure on defensive pillars Awn Al-Saluli and Muteb Al-Mufarrij and eventually exposing goalkeeper Mailson to some belligerent attacks.
A Club In Transition
The slide follows the end of the Pericles Chamusca era. The club icon left at the end of last season, and the team has had two managers in two months since.
What’s Next?
The fixtures don’t get easier. Al-Taawoun travel to Al Diriyah on October 17, then host Al Qadsiah on October 20 and visit Al Riyadh on October 24. With every point precious, the Diriyah trip looks like their best chance to finally get off the mark.
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