Al-Nassr manager Ange Postecoglou vented his frustration at his side's fixture congestion after the 1-1 draw with Al-Khaleej in the seventh round of the Roshn Saudi Pro League. The Australian insisted the run of matches in a short window had left his players physically drained.
Postecoglou said during the post-match press conference: "Our players are exhausted, we have played many matches in a short time, and I am trying to give the players rest and rotate the squad, and the players are giving their very best," adding that his coaching staff are trying to manage the fatigue as best they can.
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Conditions made the job even harder, with Al-Nassr playing several matches on the road in stifling heat and humidity. "I don't want to talk about the schedule, but we played three matches away from home in humid and hot conditions in Jeddah, a match against Al-Ittihad and two matches in the Eastern Province," he said.
Turning to the game itself, the Al-Nassr boss admitted that falling behind first made life difficult before his side lifted their level after the break, with Abdullah Al-Hamdan grabbing the equaliser.
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"The match was difficult, and things became harder for us when we conceded the goal. In the second half we performed better and scored a goal," he said, praising his players for hauling themselves back into the contest despite the circumstances.
The scale of the workload since the season began was not lost on Postecoglou, who pointed to the sheer number of games squeezed into a short stretch. "Today is 12 September and we have played 8 matches, and last year at this time Al-Nassr had played only two matches. The fixture congestion has affected us, and the league is difficult and crowded," he said.
He also flagged the gap in recovery time between the two teams ahead of the meeting with Al-Khaleej, arguing his opponents had longer to prepare. "Al-Khaleej played on Monday and Al-Nassr on Wednesday, and we played today," he said, highlighting the difference in rest days.
The draw lifted Al-Nassr to 16 points and third place in the Roshn Saudi Pro League, a point behind second-placed Al-Ittihad. Al-Hilal sit top on 18, and Postecoglou is still hunting for the best way to cope with a punishing fixture list.
