Georgios Donis was under fire before a ball had even been kicked. As Saudi Arabia prepared for their Gulf Cup campaign, supporters took to X to tear into his squad selections, at a time when hopes were pinned on a fresh showing from the team.
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Fans didn't wait to see what the team produced on the pitch. They began picking apart the squad before kick-off, with question marks raised over some of the names the coach chose and others they had expected to make his plans for this phase.
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Donis believes the squad he named can carry out his ideas and compete in the tournament. A section of the fanbase disagrees, pointing to names who produced notable levels in the Roshn League and could have earned a chance with the national team.
Fares Abdi and Mokhtar Ali raise questions
Chief among the grievances was the absence of Fares Abdi. The Al-Ittihad left-back caught the eye with his performances during the Roshn League, so leaving him out raises questions about the criteria Donis relied upon.
Supporters who wanted Abdi in the fold believe his form for Al-Ittihad could have handed him a chance to prove himself at international level, especially with the left-back slot always under the spotlight when the squad is announced.
The same went for Mokhtar Ali. The Al-Ittihad midfielder found himself outside Donis's plans despite previous experience with the national team and appearances in the Roshn League, prompting some fans to question the reasons for his exclusion.
For the critics, the absence of these names isn't about one player or two. It reflects, in their view, a set of choices that could have been reviewed before settling on the final squad, especially as the tournament offers an important chance to rebuild trust with the fans.
Is the squad enough to convince the fans?
The criticism didn't stop at particular names. It extended to the shape of the squad as a whole, with some supporters convinced the group Donis picked fails to reflect what a number of players produced in the Roshn League of late.
That view turned the squad announcement from a routine piece of pre-tournament news into a battleground for debate. Saudi fans enter the Gulf Cup waiting on a response from the national team after a spell in which results and performances fell short of expectations.
Donis, meanwhile, still has to turn this squad into a group capable of competing. The final verdict on his selections won't come before the tournament but after watching the players in the matches and seeing how well the coach deploys them.
The pressure will be there from the very first match. Any unconvincing start could quickly bring the criticism roaring back and give the doubters greater space to voice their stance.
Fans fear the negative image will persist
Part of the anger stems from a fear that the image the Saudi national team presented in previous periods will simply carry on. Some fans believe the team needs real change, not just new names in the squad.
For that reason, the Gulf Cup serves as an early test of Donis's ability to steer the national team back onto the path the Saudi supporter wants, especially with the Asian Cup approaching, a tournament that will matter far more in terms of competition and results.
Some went further than criticising the squad. They voiced their pessimism about the team's ability to produce anything to satisfy them in the tournament, arguing the current indicators offer little confidence before a ball is kicked.
The pitch remains the decisive factor in the end. Donis has a chance to answer all this criticism through results and performances, while the fans have every right to judge what they see. The Gulf Cup matches will reveal whether the question marks over the squad recede or swell into a bigger crisis that engulfs coach and country alike.