Brendan Rodgers fired a warning at Al-Hilal despite watching his Al-Qadsiah side lose to them in the Saudi Roshn League.
Al-Hilal edged a five-goal thriller 3-2 on Friday evening at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, in the eleventh round of the Saudi Roshn League.
Speaking afterwards at the post-match press conference, as reported by the Saudi newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat", the Irishman said: "We delivered a big performance and matched Al-Hilal in it."
"We had shortages in our ranks. I am proud of what the players delivered. The message has got across that Al-Qadsiah will compete with Al-Hilal until the end of the season," he added.
Pressed on what lay behind that message, he replied: "Al-Qadsiah were in the First Division two seasons ago, and today they are competing strongly. We are playing against an experienced team, and that is what made me say that, and I have no other intention."
His players earned his praise too. "I told the players after the match that they did not fall short. They gave much of what they have, and with double the effort, so I had to salute them because they did not fall short in anything," he said.
He refused to hide behind excuses. "I don't like making excuses, but Al-Hilal's players had a relatively longer rest period. I congratulate Al-Hilal, they won and they deserve it, and they have big stars as is the case for my team, and it was a big match with all the physical pressure and the absences in our team as well," he continued.
Rodgers signed off with a nod to the future. "I am proud to have the Saudi names, and they are a pillar for the team. The Saudi player is developing and creating. I have a number of names, Musab (Al-Juwayr), Jihad (Zikri), (Mohammed) Abu Al-Shamat, Al-Qahtani and others, and for the 2034 World Cup I am optimistic about a wonderful Saudi generation."
The victory sent Al-Hilal top of the Saudi League on 27 points, two clear of Al-Qadsiah. The eastern side slipped to third on goal difference behind Al-Nassr, despite having played a game more.