AFPSaudi Arabia are back to winning ways at last. Yet problems persist across the pitch, above all in attack, and above all in front of goal.
The Green Falcons edged Kuwait 1-0 on Wednesday at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah. The win came in the opening round of the group stage of the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup, "Gulf 27".
Saudi Arabia's only goal against Kuwait came as an own goal from Youssef Al-Haqqan, after a shot from Humam Al-Hammami struck his foot, deceived the goalkeeper and nestled in his net.
That means Saudi Arabia have failed to score themselves in each of their last three matches under Dionis: against Spain and Cape Verde at the 2026 World Cup, and then against Kuwait at the 27th Gulf Cup.
Their last goal came against Uruguay, in the first round of the group stage at the World Cup, a match that finished 1-1.
Throw in the last friendly before the World Cup, a goalless draw with Senegal in which they also failed to find the net, and Saudi Arabia have scored just one goal themselves in their last five matches.
Seven games in under Dionis, they have managed six goals, a rate of less than one per match. Three of those came against Puerto Rico, ranked 154th in the world, and one was the own goal against Kuwait.
After the Kuwait match, Donis sought to explain the attacking shortcomings that have dogged Saudi Arabia under his charge. The problem, he argued, dates back to the World Cup and comes down to one thing: converting the chances that arrive.
He has no magic wand to sharpen the final touch, Donis admitted, an implicit nod to the players carrying the blame. He insisted he is working to fix the issue and drag the side into a better place.
For the Greek coach, the root cause is clear. His players lack the confidence and composure in front of goal, and that costs them their final and penultimate decisions.
"We are still suffering from the same problem since the World Cup," he explained. "We have the ball, we control the match, and we get the ball close to the opponent's penalty area, but the final pass and the final decision are not the best."
Deniz's remarks gave fans the impression that Saudi Arabia controls the tempo of matches and dominates them, with the only remaining problem being the conversion of available chances into goals. That simply isn't true.
Yes, Saudi Arabia were the more dominant side against Kuwait, and several chances came their way, undone only by the poor decision-making of Abdullah Al-Hamdan. That's natural given the gulf in quality. But it was not the reality at the World Cup, whatever Deniz claims.
Take the goalless draw with Cape Verde. Saudi Arabia wasted only a single clear-cut chance from 7 shots, while their opponents did the same from a full 15 attempts on goal.
The expected goals told an even starker story. Saudi Arabia managed just 0.39, a full goal behind Cape Verde's 1.39.
Possession and tempo? Those belonged to the African side too.
Things got worse against Spain. Deniz's side lost 4-0, managed only a single shot on target and created nothing clear-cut, finishing with an expected goals figure of just 0.14. A shocking number in terms of control.
Even the 1-1 draw with Uruguay, the only game in their last five where Saudi Arabia scored themselves, brought no real attacking threat.
Saudi Arabia took 7 shots in that match, 3 on target, against Uruguay's 27. That figure lays bare their absence going forward, particularly in the second half.
The expected goals read 0.66 from a single clear-cut chance for Saudi Arabia, against 1.72 for the Latin Americans from two clear-cut chances.
Uruguay's goalkeeper faced only two shots. Mohammed Al-Owais, at the other end, made a full 9 saves. La Celeste were on top throughout.
The numbers point to one conclusion. Saudi Arabia's problem was never about converting chances into goals, because the chances weren't being created in the first place. Not once did they hold the upper hand in any match they played.
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The problem looks clear given the Greek coach's chopping and changing, particularly in attack.
At the World Cup, Donis leaned on Firas Al-Buraikan as his main striker. Quick, skilful and happy to drop in and help build the play, Al-Buraikan made way against Kuwait for Abdullah Al-Hamdan, a more consistent option.
Salem Al-Dawsari's injury ruled him out of the Gulf tournament, doubling up the changes in the front line. Humam Al-Humami came in for him.
Donis did not stop there. He recalled Saleh Abu Al-Shamat and handed him a starting berth against Kuwait, leaving Sultan Mundash on the bench and reshaping the attack entirely.
New faces brought a new approach. Rather than settling for counter-attacks, Donis tried to pump in more crosses to make the most of Al-Hamdan's height and his strength in the air.
That switch flopped too. It only deepened the disarray in an attacking line clearly struggling under Donis.
