'So many strings to his bow': Why Al Shabab opted for Alguacil | OneFootball

Every off-season is important, but this one feels especially so for Al Shabab.

While some may uncharitably view them as the third team from Riyadh, behind their cross-town foes in Al Hilal and Al Nassr, they have historically always been a challenger in the Saudi top flight.

Their roll of honours includes six league titles dating back across their entire history - more even than a club like Al Ahli, the current Asian champions.

Al Shabab's most recent championship crown came in 2011-12, while they also finished runners-up in 2020-21 after leading the league with eight games to play. It was the first in a run of three straight seasons in the top four.

After a bright start last term, which had them inside the top four after one-third of the campaign, the departure of Vitor Pereira to English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers threw a spanner in the works before the club ultimately finished sixth.

But rather than be on the outside looking in, Al Shabab want to be in that mix at the sharp end of the table, contending with the league’s heavyweights, And, to help them achieve that, they’ve appointed highly respected Spanish coach Imanol Alguacil.

The 54-year-old is a legend at Real Sociedad, where he both played and coached, taking over in 2018 and, little more than 12 months later, guiding the club to their first Copa del Rey triumph in more than three decades.

Not long ago, Alguacil led the club to the last 16 of the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League.

So his signing represents a real coup for Al Shabab as they look to keep pace with those around them, not least because, to many observers, Real Sociedad often played the best football in Spain across the past few years.

Tactically flexible, the Basque native likes to play on the front foot and maintain possession, his side pressing madly when they lose the ball.

“He had a very clear identity and pushes that to the death,” Ander Guevara, who played under Alguacil, said previously. “A team that wants the ball, not for its own sake, but to do damage with it. Good pressure, good physical preparation, possession.”

Spanish international Nacho Monreal, meanwhile, who played at Arsenal before joining Real Sociedad, is full of admiration for how Alguacil went about his work.

“I didn’t really know him, and the truth is I was in for a surprise, a pleasant surprise,” Monreal said. “It’s one thing to know about football, understand it, another to be able to communicate that.

“And Imanol can: mucho, mucho, mucho, muchísimo. It’s incredible. He is on top of everything, from the way the team brings the ball out to the way we press, to what we do when we lose possession. He has so many strings to his bow.”

However, Alguacil arrives in Riyadh with plenty on his plate as he looks ahead to the new Roshn Saudi League season, with time quickly ticking away before kick-off in late August.

His first task will be to identify areas in which the squad needs improving and working to address any shortcomings.

One obvious place to start is looking to replace all of those who were on loan last season but have since returned to their parent clubs.

They include Finnish midfielder Glen Kamara, defenders Mohammed Al Thani and Robert Renan, and the league’s hottest young talent, Musab Al Juwayr.

The biggest loss is undoubtedly that of Al Juwayr, who has returned to parent club Al Hilal after two campaigns on loan in black and white.

The 22-year-old was a standout last season, coming of age under both Pereira and his successor, Fatih Terim, with five goals and 10 assists.

Despite his tender years, Al Juwayr played an integral role in the Al Shabab attack alongside RSL legend Abderrazak Hamdallah and a resurgent Cristian Guanca. Understandably, he was named the 2024-25 competition's Best Young Talent.

He will be tough to replace, but Alguacil, who helped develop players like Martín Zubimendi, Mikel Oyarzabal and Ander Barrenetxea, won’t be deterred.

Through his time at Real Sociedad, the much-vaunted coach developed a reputation for giving opportunities to young, homegrown players, so you can expect those from Al Shabab’s own system to be given a chance to impress.

He must also assess the current roster of international stars and determine who fit his style, and where improvements can be made. And, in another sign of his drive to succeed, Alguacil has wasted little time in getting to work.

“First of all, I’m very happy and extremely excited,” he said upon is appointment last week. “I know I’ve joined a historic club and, honestly, the welcome has been unmatched. I truly felt the love.

"As you know, I moved up my arrival to better get to know Riyadh, the club and to start working right away. Our goal to begin with is to build a competitive team that grows gradually.

"And why not? Short term we could be that team again, the one that not so long ago lifted something important.”