Donis urges Saudi Arabia to find composure after narrow Kuwait win

Saudi Arabia manager Georgios Donis says his players must develop greater confidence and calmness in front of goal after their 1-0 victory over Kuwait in Jeddah.

The result came in the opening round of Group A at the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup and put Saudi Arabia top of the section with three points. Their position was strengthened by Iraq’s draw with Oman in the opening match.

Donis said his side needed to make better choices in decisive moments, particularly when attacking inside the opposition penalty area.

“We have to improve our decisions in difficult moments and make the right choices at the right time inside the opponent’s area,” he told a news conference.

“Sometimes scoring is difficult because chances are not being created, but we created many opportunities today. We made the right decisions on some occasions, while on others we were unable to do so.”

The Greek coach added that composure would be central to his team’s progress.

“The most important thing is to gain the confidence and calmness needed to make the right decision,” he said.

Donis also highlighted the need for several players to receive more regular football at club level, naming Hamam Al-Hamami, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat and Musab Al-Juwayr.

“There are players such as Hamam Al-Hamami, Saleh Abu Al-Shamat and Musab Al-Juwayr who need more minutes with their clubs to gain confidence,” he said.

He explained that Abdullah Al-Hamdan is often a substitute for his club, while Al-Hamami has not played regularly and Abu Al-Shamat has also had limited opportunities.

“Al-Hamdan is a substitute for his club most of the time, Hamam has not played much and Saleh has received limited minutes with his club. The players need more appearances to build belief in themselves,” Donis said.

Al-Hamami nevertheless impressed for Al-Shabab after being deployed on the left wing to replace Belgium international Yannick Carrasco, who was absent because of injury.

Saudi Arabia’s victory also ended a run of draws with Kuwait in the Gulf Cup on Saudi soil. The two sides had drawn each of their three previous meetings there, in the second, ninth and 15th editions of the competition.

The second group begins its fixtures on Thursday, with United Arab Emirates facing Yemen and Qatar playing Bahrain.