Dulac in the dugout: 5 key factors for Al Riyadh to beat drop | OneFootball

Already on to manager No.3 this season, Al Riyadh will be hoping it’s third time lucky as they desperately look to avoid relegation after three seasons back in the top flight.

As it stands, they sit inside the relegation zone, three points from safety with only 13 games remaining. While that represents ample time to turn things around, it’s also true that time is still ticking.

Here are five areas that can help Al Riyadh secure their place in the Roshn Saudi League for next season.

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New-manager motivation

Having already parted ways with both Javier Calleja and Jose Daniel Carreno, Al Riyadh turned to Under-21 coach Mauricio Dulac to flip their fortunes. The 46-year-old Brazilian is a long-time assistant of former Al Riyadh manager, Odair Hellmann, having worked alongside his compatriot in Brazil, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

With Al Riyadh only just surviving the cut in that 2023-24 season, Dulac will be well versed in the pressure of a relegation battle. Now out on his own as a head coach for the first time in his career, he has the opportunity to make a name for himself.

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Time for Toze

The veteran Portuguese midfielder has firmly established himself within the RSL after spending the past two seasons with Al Hazem and Al Riyadh, respectively.

With 14 goals and 11 assists across that span, Toze is a reliable weapon in attack and, again this season, has the best scoring and assist record at the club: a further five goals and four assists to add to his overall tally.

Having had the most shots (43) and created the most big chances (eight) of any Al Riyadh player, if Dulac can find a way to get Toze more of the ball, his potent playmaker can clearly do the rest.

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Fresh blood

While the headlines were focused elsewhere, Al Riyadh were one of the busiest clubs in the winter transfer window, bringing in a host of players to add depth and quality to their squad for the remainder of the season.

Algerian midfielder Victor Lekhal, with extensive experience in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 in France; Portuguese forward Leandro Antunes, who took only two games to open his RSL account; young Romanian international Enes Sali; returning defender Abdulelah Al Khaibari, who previously spent more than a decade at the club.

They add a freshness that, along with Dulac, changes the look of this Al Riyadh side.

New signing Leandro Antunes scores first goal for Al Riyadh in 1-1 draw with Al Khaleej

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Plug the leaks

Priority No.1 for Dulac must be to shore up a porous defence that, so far this season, has conceded 41 goals. At almost two per game, it makes for pretty damning reading.

While Al Riyadh rank 11th for Shots Faced (270) - not too bad, considering - they have kept only one clean sheet all campaign - the worst record of any side in the division. Also, their Expected Goals Against record (38.8) represents the second-worst in the league.

Of course, you simply can’t win matches if you’re conceding, on average, two goals per game. While Al Riyadh also have issues putting the ball in the net at the other end (19 goals scored, joint-second worst), if they can start by keeping them out it’ll go a long way in their quest for survival.

Defender Yoann Barbet will be expected to marshal Al Riyadh's backline in tightening up

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On the road to… safety?

The next month is make or break for Al Riyadh; if they are to salvage something this season it needs to start now. Three of their next four fixtures are on the road, which has proven to be a challenge for the capital club thus far this campaign.

Unfortunately, Al Riyadh are yet to win any of their 10 away games, but the next three present arguably their best chance of snapping that.

Al Riyadh make trips to Al Kholood, Al Shabab and Damac, the three teams directly above them in the table. Not only is it a valuable chance to pick up points of their own, but to also take some off their rivals. As the saying goes, the proverbial six-pointers.