It somehow became Europe vs. Saudi Arabia in the soccer universe in the last few months. The belligerence of the Saudi Pro League to hire players from around the world, mainly Europe, has seemed to pay off. Unexpectedly, one of the soccer world’s current masterminds, Pep Guardiola, was aced by the manager of Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite the Spaniard’s treble, the Manchester City coach was second to Luis Castro in a certain metric.
The Cityzens’ last campaign was so impressive that even Carlo Ancelotti called them favorites to win this year’s UEFA Champions League again. The blue side of Manchester is such a force that even the best coaches are impressed, however, a recent stat will prompt you to rethink.
Al Nassr’s boss surpasses Pep Guardiola!
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Al Nassr missed out on winning the league last season by a narrow margin over Karim Benzema‘s current club, Al Ittihad. But the Portuguese captain’s club pulled its strings to run for it again. This time, it’s Al Nassr’s new boss’ impressive run that made him the most successful coach this year. Luis Castro won 46 games this year, which is the highest for any coach. The achievement comes from his involvement with two top teams, Botafogo and Al Nassr. On the other hand, Pep has won 40 games this year, second-best to Al Nassr’s coach.
📊|| خلال السنة الحالية 2023:
• لويس كاسترو الاكثر انتصارًا ( 46 أنتصار).
• بيب غوارديولا المركز الثاني ( 40 أنتصار).🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝 pic.twitter.com/6alVVX3aRL
— كورة | #النصر 🦁 (@9NFCBALL) November 14, 2023
The 62-year-old took the baton from Rudi Garcia after the latter was unable to win the league trophy last season. Since arriving, Castro has won 22 matches with Al Nassr, including the Arab Club Champions Cup. The rest of his wins were with Botafogo (24), helping them lead the table until their recent loss to Luis Suarez’s Gremio.
He also took Cristiano Ronaldo’s team to an unbeaten 18-game streak this year. The manager also won the September Manager of the Month award in the Saudi Pro League. Apart from the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr are table toppers in Group E of the AFC Champions League, thanks to their manager and mighty strong squad. However, does the responsibility and onus lay on the shoulders of Cristiano Ronaldo?
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Luis Castro to achieve better things at Al Nassr with everyone’s help and not just Cristiano Ronaldo
Al Nassr is making sure that Luis Castro gets all the assistance to keep up the performance. The club has already signed many players apart from Cristiano Ronaldo. Stars like Sadio Mane, Alex Telles, Marcelo Brozovic, Aymeric Laporte, and Seko Fofana are his new stars. The coach also clarified recently that his team is not just about Cristiano Ronaldo but also other players who do well.
READ MORE – Cristiano Ronaldo & Al Nassr Completely Refuses To Postpone Al-Hilal Match Despite Heavy Rumors
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The club also introduced AI into its team analysis and algorithms, making the task easier for Luis Castro. With all the success in hand, Al Nassr is second to Al Hilal and giving them a tough run for the title. Overall, Castro’s 46-win campaign came in Brazil and Saudi Arabia is quite the achievement. But can it draw a comparison with performances in the English Premier League and European soccer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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