Al Fateh bank on African attack to catapult club to greater heights

Al Fateh, unfortunately, know this feeling well.

That is, sitting in the relegation zone, with a point to their name, staring at a season of struggle.

The good thing is they also understand what it’s like to come out the other side of that. While it’s not where they want to be, the fact they are in this position in the Roshn Saudi League at all is somewhat extraordinary.

Last season, right up until Round 20, Al Fateh were dead last in the league with barely a hope for survival. However, not only did they survive, they thrived.

They finished in a remarkable 10th place, winning nine of their last 15, including victories against eventual-champions Al Ittihad and title-chasing Al Nassr to complete the fairytale recovery.

So, as they lie 16th in the table after three rounds, they won’t be daunted by what is ahead; they’ve faced, and come through, much worse.

But it goes without saying that Al Fateh need to begin to turn around their fortunes - and fast. And with Al Qadsiah this week, and then Al Nassr once the RSL returns next month following the international break, the immediate road ahead is a treacherous one.

Yet the most obvious solution to winning games of football is by scoring goals. Just take their about-turn in the second half of last season: it was inspired by their attack, transforming from one of the least prolific in the division to one of the best.

Much to their dismay, Al Fateh’s poor start this term has again been characterised by a struggle to put the ball into the back of the net, with three goals in as many games thus far.

It’s at times like these that leaders stand up, and in Al Fateh’s case they have an experienced group, particularly in attack, that they can call upon.

With a combined connection thanks to their shared African heritage, Morocco’s Mourad Batna, Algeria’s Sofiane Bendebka and Cameroon’s Karl Toko Ekambi form a triple threat that can trouble even the best defences in the RSL.

The latter represents the most recent arrival of the trio having signed late in the recent transfer window from Al Ettifaq.

Aged 33, brings a wealth of experience of playing in some of the biggest leagues in Europe - Villarreal and Olympique Lyon - not to mention his international CV with Cameroon that includes winning the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations. 

In contrast to Toko Ekambi are Batna and Bendebka who, between them, have close to 300 matches at Al Fateh, with a combined total of 81 RSL goals. They are, in many ways, the beating heart of this side; players who intrinsically feel what it means to represent the Al Ahsa club.

With Toko Ekambi having joined on transfer deadline day, there is naturally an adjustment period as they all adapt to fresh combinations up front. But it’s one they need to get their heads around quickly.

While the African trio have the RSL experience, the lynchpin of this Al Fateh attack remains a firebrand Argentine that transformed their fortunes last season.

Mathias Vargas landed in Al Ahsa in the winter transfer window at the beginning the year fresh off winning the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Port. Crucially, he took little time to settle, eventually scoring seven goals and recording four assists as Al Fateh fought off relegation.

This season, with two goals and an assist already - he has had a hand in every goal Al Fateh has scored – Vargas has merely underlined his importance to this team.

If Batna, Bendebka and Toko Ekambi can then play their part, Al Fateh possess a fearsome frontline that can fire the team to wins.

Yet, with Al Qadsiah on Saturday and Al Nassr to come after, the pressure is on. Still, what better time to kick-start the climb than against two of the RSL’s top teams?