The Saudi Pro League has just restarted and the hunt is on for Al Hilal, who dominated last season and are aiming to repeat the title. Among the teams ready to do battle is Al Ittihad of a “new” Karim Benzema; the French striker admitted that his first season in Saudi Arabia did not live up to expectations, also because it was marked by the conflictual relationship with his former coach, Marcelo Gallardo.
The Argentine was fired seven months after his arrival and replaced by Laurent Blanc: “I don’t like to talk about last year, about what happened. There were so many problems. We weren’t just focused on football, so we have to use the lessons learned from that period. That’s what we did in pre-season, there were so many changes. It’s about looking forward, learning from the few mistakes we made last year.
“We are in the best conditions now. Blanc is known in Europe and here people know who he is. He is someone who knows football and is very close to the players.” Al-Ittihad started the season in a great way, obtaining two victories in the first two matchdays of the championship. Benzema, after having scored 9 goals and 7 assists in 2023/24, broke the deadlock in the second match, the one won against Al Taawon.