Al Raed rocked by relegation, but know where to improve to bounce back | OneFootball

Al Raed have flown close to the sun many times before, but finally they have been eclipsed.

An ever-present of the Roshn Saudi League since the Saudi Pro League era began in 2008-09, their relegation was confirmed on Sunday. The 1-0 defeat at Damac consigned Al Raed to second-tier football for the first time in almost two decades.

Their existence in the RSL has largely been one of grit and gumption, the Buraidah club rarely finishing beyond the lower-to-mid-table range across 16 seasons in the RSL. And, truth be told, there were a few lucky breaks along the way.

Al Raed manager Kresimir Rezic (L) with Damac manager Khaled Al Atwi

In the introductory season of the SPL era, Al Raed concluded the campaign 10th of 12 clubs and were forced into a promotion/relegation play-off with Abha. They survived - only just, winning 4-3 on aggregate.

The following season Al Raed ended up second bottom following three wins from 22 games, a performance that yielded a mere 16 points. However, as the league was then to expand to 14 teams, there was no relegation, and Al Raed survived again.

There were more promotion/relegation play-offs to battle, in 2015-16 and 2017-18, yet they again stayed the course to retain their place at the top table of Saudi Arabian football.

In recent years, Al Raed have flirted with relegation, finishing a solitary point above the relegation zone in 2020-21 and three points from it the following season.

Last term, they came home 12th, five points above the dreaded bottom three after spending much of the first half of the season stuck in it. Then, Igor Jovicevic was the man to mastermind the escape.

To rub salt into wounds, as Al Raed struggled to ensure RSL status sustained, Al Raed had to watch as their neighbours in Buraidah, Al Taawoun, thrived: in four of the past six seasons, they posted finishes of third, fourth, fifth and fourth.

And that’s without mentioning the multiple continental campaigns and winning the King’s Cup in 2019.

This season, as Al Taawoun eyed continental success in the AFC Champions League Two – they reached the semi-final stage – Al Raed’s luck finally ran out. To this point, they have lost 22 of their 31 RSL matches to languish at the foot of the table. After Sunday, survival is no longer possible.

A lack of turnover and refreshment of the squad in the off-season may have contributed to their slip.

Having made substantial change last term, Al Raed decided to stick largely with the status quo in terms of their foreign contingent, with most of their business focused on improving their local stocks.

Exciting Al Ittihad full-back Zakaria Hawsawi made the move, as did his former teammate Saleh Al Amri, albeit on loan; the latter went on to impress in the early part of the season when a run of three wins in six games had Al Raed as high as seventh.

The most significant summer change came in the dugout, with Odair Hellman, who impressed with Al Riyadh last season, making the move north. After helping the capital club survive, more of the same was expected at Al Raed.

But, aside from one brief patch through October, it was a campaign that never truly got going. Not even the removal of Hellman, and the arrival of the experienced Kresimir Rezic at the start of April could salvage their season: four defeats in their past five RSL outings confirmed Al Raed’s fate.

However, if they are looking for positives to take into the second division – from where they will chase an immediate return to the RSL – it comes in the form of the frontline.

Aside from a resurgent Al Fateh, Al Raed have an attack (39 goals) that equals or betters any team from Al Ettifaq, in seventh, down. Karim El Berkaoui has top-scored with 11 goals, while Amir Sayoud has eight and a further seven assists.

Al Raed's issue has, quite clearly, been in defence. With three matchweeks remaining, they possess the third-worst defensive record in the 2024-25 RSL, conceding 60 goals at almost two goals per game.

When you’re averaging finding the net a little more than one time per game, it means you’ll lose more than you’ll win - and that’s exactly how it has played out.

The stats back up the dichotomy, with Al Raed ranked fourth for shot conversion and seventh for shot accuracy. Alarmingly, though, they’re lie last for shots conceded, facing a staggering 509 across the 31 games so far this season: an average of 16 per game.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that Al Raed also rank 18th from 18 clubs for clean sheets, with three this campaign.

It paints a pretty clear picture of where their season went wrong. Yet, on the other hand, it confirms what they need to focus on this summer if they are to turn around their fortunes and return to the RSL at the first time of asking.