Al Shabab’s downfall : What happened to the league leaders ?

Al Shabab started their season with a sensational performance, as they managed to cement themselves at the top of the Saudi Professional League. Al Shabab were looking forward to winning the second league title in their history, but since the beginning of the second half of the season, a lot of things changed in the team.

Al Shabab failed to maintain their great run of form, as they dropped many points which led them to be in the second position, behind Al Hilal with 3 points. 

Following their downfall, Xenia Sports decided to compile a list of the main reasons that led Al Shabab to this difficult situation.

Well organized teams :

Al Shabab suffered a lot this season against all the well-organized teams, especially in the defensive levels.

 Al Shabab lost 8 points in their last three games in the competition, as they lost twice against Al Taawoun, who have the strongest defensive line in the campaign.

Also, the same thing happened against Al Qadsiah, and Al Ittihad,  which reveals that Al Shabab’s attacking line can not break through the defensive teams.

Referee mistakes :

Al Shabab suffered several referee mistakes this season, which affected a lot on many games’ results. One of these mistakes took place in Al Qadsiah’s game, as Al Shabab were not awarded a rightful penalty, which led the team to lose two important points.

 The intense pressure of the games :

Following their impressive performance, the team’s players were under the spotlight from the media which exposed them to great pressure. 

Apparently, the players failed to deal with the pressure and this was obvious during the team’s games, as many players could not maintain their performance and they were affected by the off-field things.

Inexperienced players :

Al Shabab’s starting lineup does not have experienced players, who are capable of dealing with the difficult situations that faced the team this season. As a result of that, the team dropped a lot of points as neither of the players managed to help the team to extend their lead.