Benzema bond, instant buy-in, Saudi talent: What's in Conceicao in-tray at Al Ittihad

A new era begins at Roshn Saudi League champions Al Ittihad on Friday, when manager Sergio Conceicao makes his debut in the dugout with the trip to Al Fayha.

The Portuguese coach, appointed last week as Laurent Blanc’s successor, hasn’t had a great amount of time with his squad, especially given the recent international break. However, he will be looking to get his tenure off on a winning foot in Majma’ah in the opening fixture of Matchweek 5.

So, here’s what we feel was in Conceicao’s in-tray as the RSL welcomed another manager, formerly of FC Porto and AC Milan, with serious coaching credentials.

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Instant buy-in from players

Known as a manager who demands the very utmost from his teams, Conceicao arrives at Al Ittihad with a trophy-laden CV cultivated primarily at FC Porto.

During seven years at the famous Portuguese club, the former winger guided his side to three Primeira Liga titles and eight other cup successes. His possession-based philosophy places emphasis on attacking football, which should suit the tools at his disposal at Al Ittihad.

On the surface, Conceicao is certainly a more offensive coach than Blanc, whose title-winning side often relied last season on late, late goals. Intriguingly, Conceicao is known to select players best suited to his system - and not on reputation.

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Connecting with captain Karim

Without doubt, Karim Benzema was the most influential player in last season’s RSL. His 30 goal contributions – 21 goals, nine assists – was the joint-best in the division alongside Al Hilal counterpart Salem Al Dawsari, while he finished joint-third in the scoring charts.

Benzema, the club captain, led Al Ittihad supremely back to the summit of Saudi football; it’s why he was crowned the 2024-25 RSL Player of the Year.

However, the Ballon d’Or winner is so much more to Al Ittihad, if they feels even possible. He is the man who has seen and done almost it all in his glittering career, and someone the players look to for inspiration, both on and off the pitch.

Therefore, the relationship between Benzema and Conceicao will be mightily important. Having played for some of Europe’s most established clubs – Lazio, Parma, Inter Milan – Conceicao could feel a kindred spirit in Benzema. A mutual respect should be there. Which is a very strong foundation to build from.

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Plug strangely leaky defence

Last season, on their way to that RSL crown, Al Ittihad boasted the second-most miserly defence in the division. Through 34 matchweeks, they conceded only 35 goals, coming out at an average of 1.03 per game. Already this term, their backline has been breached six times in four rounds, or 1.5 goals per game.

Now, it’s a relatively small sample size, and they did face surging title rivals Al Nassr last time out. But still, the defence hasn’t been as tight as it should be: in the first two matchweeks, Al Ittihad conceded twice against both Al Okhdood and Al Fateh.

For sure, Predrag Rajkovic’s unavailability for two of the first four fixtures hasn’t helped, especially since the Serbia goalkeeper shone on debut last season and was principal to that title success.

Neither has the chopping and changing of full-backs Mario Mitaj, Muhannad Al Shanqiti and Muath Fagihy, while Saad Al Mousa’s absence against Al Nassr was keenly felt, too. Thus, Conceicao must settle on his defence - and go from there.

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Ensure front four fire

At the other end of the pitch, the goals have somewhat dried up. Al Ittihad’s attack burst out of the blocks in the opening two matchweeks, racking up five goals in the first round and then four the following game.

In the first, Benzema notched a hat-trick to suggest Cristiano Ronaldo won't be keeping hold of his golden boot without a fight. However, the Frenchman then missed the next two RSL outings through injury.

To be fair, Steven Bergwijn had stepped up to the plate. The Dutchman, another excellent RSL debutant last season, added to his goal at Al Okhdood with a brace at home to Al Fateh in Matchweek 2.

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To supplement that, fellow 2024 summer signings Houssem Aouar and Moussa Diaby were back impacting games: Aouar opened his account against Al Fateh with assist king Diaby laying it on for him.

Yet, since then, the goals have dried up. Against new boys Al Najmah, Al Ittihad required a 96th-minute winner from N’Golo Kante. Then, at home to Al Nassr, they drew a blank.

Having Benzema available - and back up to speed - will certainly add a huge amount to the champions’ arsenal. Still, it’s going to be really interesting to see how Conceicao deploys that front four.

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Utilise talent-rich Saudi support

Of course, Al Ittihad possess some of the finest local talent in the RSL. Typically starters, Al Mousa complements well Portugal centre-back Danilo Pereira, while Al Shanqiti’s presence on the left side of defence allows Diaby to forage forward to wreak havoc.

However, there are many other gifted Saudis in the squad that can really affect games.

Abdulrahman Al Obud was a sensation late last term, the Saudi Arabia international scoring a career-best seven goals to help the Jeddah club clinch the RSL trophy. A substitute in all four matches this term, he is averaging little more than 25 minutes per round.

Also, Faisal Al Ghamdi has played only 60 minutes since returning from his loan spell in Belgium with Beerschot. The rangy midfielder has obvious ability and should form a vital part of Al Ittihad’s title defence.

Patently, as Al Ittihad bid to retain their crown, both in the RSL and the King’s Cup, and seek to make a major imprint on the AFC Champions League Elite, utilising his squad is crucial. For that, it will go a long way to deciding whether Conceicao is a success in Jeddah or not.