Fiery Galtier demands NEOM SC break free from slump and forge forward

There’s no masking the fact that NEOM Sports Club are in something of a rut at present.

With a single win in their past seven Roshn Saudi League outings and four defeats in the past five, the top-flight debutants with grand ambitions did not expect to find themselves in the bottom half more than midway through the 2025-26 campaign.

NEOM SC’s goalless draw with Al Ettifaq last week marked only their second clean sheet this term, while a return of 21 goals ranks as the lowest of any top-10 side.

The dawn of a new era in the Kingdom’s north-west promised so much more, and manager Christophe Galtier is under no illusions as to the predicament the club finds itself in.

“I am not happy because we repeat the same faults game after game,” the Frenchman bemoaned after the recent loss to Al Ahli.

When it was pointed out that NEOM SC had failed to beat a team above them in the table (at the time of their meeting), Galtier didn’t mince his words. Although, he did appear to chose them very intently.

“When you have these results, this is our level,” he said. “If we can’t win, then this is our level at the moment. I don’t accept that, but this is the reality. We have to work and we have to progress, and maybe I need to put some players out.

“Even if it’s a foreigner, or it’s a big investment, I don’t care. This is the reality of football everywhere in the world. It’s not the name; it’s the attitude on the pitch, and we repeat the same mistakes. Two games ago, it was the same, and when the squad will be ready with some more players, I will take some decisions.

Galtier continued: “My job is to make some decisions, and the right decisions to see my team winning. Maybe we miss some experienced players, but we have some players with big experience. 

“If the players don’t [know me], they will know me. Maybe some players consider it easy to play in the RSL, but the RSL is a difficult league, and they have to understand that.”

It represented a shot across the bow, and one clearly designed the elicit a reaction from his charges when they host relegation-threatened Damac on Friday.

However, despite NEOM SC's current struggles, success and progress can also be measured in many ways. And, while it’d be fatuous to suggest the season has so far been a hit, it’s also worth placing it within context.

This is the first campaign the club has spent in the top tier of Saudi Arabian football and, with that, came significant squad turnover ahead of that fresh challenge.

So, there were always going to be growing pains. From the outset, a serious tilt at silverware constituted a tough task against seasoned RSL heavyweights such as Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ahli.

Still, there’s no doubt NEOM SC would’ve targeted a spot in the top six - at least - and perhaps were looking to follow in the footsteps of Al Qadsiah last season. And, to their credit, for the first third of the campaign, the Tabuk club were there or thereabouts. That is, until their recent slump.

But what is also clear, from their recruitment as much as their rhetoric, is that this project represents a long-term one and not just about 2025-26.

NEOM SC's French connection brings distinct flavour to Tabuk

Club host RSL for 1st time in history this Thursday

While Alexandre Lacazette was the club’s headline signing in the summer and a statement of intent - he was soon joined by several other experienced heads - it’s also true that the former Olympique Lyon and Arsenal striker was accompanied largely by players of a younger age profile.

Understandably, and despite an abundance of potential, they lacked significant senior-level know-how.

Uruguay’s Luciano Rodriguez, on track to go to this summer’s 2026 FIFA World Cup, had just turned 22 when he signed, enterprising French duo Saimon Bouabre and Nathan Zeze are 19 and 20 respectively, while Ivorian youth international Amadou Kone is also only 20.

For all their talent, young players are also inconsistent as they develop the experience to be able to deliver 90-minute performances game-in, game-out. To underline the point, NEOM SC are behind only Al Ahli this season in fielding the youngest average starting age in the RSL, at ???.

Galtier has lamented how his team comprises two sides: in the first half of games, their performances have often been impressive only for them to regress after the break.

Take the Al Hilal home clash in Matchweek 16. NEOM SC led the in-form RSL leaders 1-0 at the break before succumbing 2-1 to the visitors. That’s been the tale of their season.

Looking at the numbers, 68 percent of NEOM SC’s goals conceded have come in the second half. What’s more, they’ve let in 50% of their goals in the final 30 minutes. They are numbers Galtier, a Ligue 1 winner with Paris Saint-Germain, will know all too well.

He has promised tough love for NEOM SC to turn around their fortunes. Beginning with Damac on Friday, it’s now up to the players to respond.