Marino Pusic sees Al Ahli’s resilience as the platform for a measured new-season push

Marino Pusic has made a positive first impression of Al Ahli and does not believe the Saudi Pro League club need to start again from scratch, with six new signings added to a squad he feels already possesses a strong competitive identity.

The Dutchman has taken charge ahead of the new season, but his initial assessment is that Al Ahli have an established technical and personal foundation on which to build. The club’s transfer activity so far has therefore focused on strengthening the existing group rather than undertaking a complete reconstruction.

According to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, sources close to the club say Pusic has been encouraged by both the quality of the players already in the squad and the character they have shown in major friendly matches during the recent period. He has also noted the level of understanding developing within the group.

Pusic is not beginning the job without prior knowledge of Al Ahli. He watched the team on several occasions, particularly during their successful campaign in the AFC Champions League Elite, which ended with the club winning the competition.

That experience gave him an early view of the players’ abilities, as well as how they respond to different types of matches and the pressure surrounding them.

One feature that reportedly stood out to Pusic was Al Ahli’s ability to remain competitive when matches become difficult. The coach considers that refusal to surrender a fundamental quality for any side targeting major honours.

Several matches in which Al Ahli played with fewer than 11 men also attracted his attention. He saw the team continue to fight after red cards and, in some games, reach extra time without abandoning their attempts to win.

For Pusic, those moments reveal more than tactical qualities. They offer evidence of the squad’s personality and its capacity to withstand adversity.

The coach believes that mentality gives him an important starting point. Rather than having to create a new character for the team at the beginning of his tenure, he can work with qualities that are already present.

Sources also say Pusic was impressed by Al Ahli’s ability to recover from a number of difficult situations during the previous period. Those comebacks strengthened his view that the club already have a competitive base that should be developed and preserved.

Six arrivals strengthen existing squad

Pusic’s appointment has coincided with significant activity in the transfer market. Al Ahli have completed six deals so far in preparation for the new campaign, signing Eduard Spertsyan, Mishal Al-Mutairi, Abu Bakr Sidi, Abdullah Al-Radif, Nayef Masoud and Trincao.

The recruitment indicates a desire to add depth and alternatives to the current squad, rather than make wholesale changes to its structure. That approach matches Pusic’s early reading of Al Ahli as a team that requires improvement and reinforcement, not demolition and reconstruction.

The new manager also inherits several players with extensive knowledge of the club and the Saudi Pro League. The squad includes foreign players who have already spent time with Al Ahli and gained experience in domestic and continental competitions.

That familiarity could allow the coaching staff to reduce the amount of time normally required for a new manager to understand his players and establish working relationships within the squad.

Pusic views the continued presence of a number of foreign players as another advantage, particularly because of the understanding they have developed with Al Ahli’s Saudi players. The new additions are expected to provide the coaching team with a wider range of options during a season in which the club face several competitions.