Al Qadsiah manager Brendan Rodgers begins his first full campaign in the Saudi Pro League, aiming to build on an impressive fourth-place finish last season.
Rodgers moved to the kingdom in December to replace the sacked Michel, with the Northern Irish coach having been out of work since leaving Scottish club Celtic two months earlier.
Al Qadsiah chief executive James Bisgrove described his appointment as “a landmark moment”, suggesting that Rodgers' track record was a perfect match for the club's “ambition and long-term vision”.
His coaching record included guiding Liverpool to second place in the Premier League, helping Leicester City win their first FA Cup and leading Celtic to 11 major trophies over two spells.
Rodgers' impact at Al Qadsiah was immediate as the team embarked on a club-record 17-match unbeaten run last season, which ended with Al Qadsiah qualifying for the AFC Champions League Elite for the first time.
“Since arriving in December, we’ve been able to create a real good base to go forward into this season. The players' behaviour and all the processes that we put in place have been outstanding – we’ve been so impressed with the mentality, the professionalism, the willingness to improve,” Rodgers said in an interview with the SPL website.
“We’ve wanted to bring our way of playing to the group, and over the course of the second part of [last] season, they were exceptional in that. So, over the course of pre-season, we've been able to build on those ideas. We had a great training camp in Spain and we’ve started well.
“Obviously we're in four competitions, so if you're in them, you might as well go and win them. So I don't specifically put one above the other. Every game we arrive into, we want to win.”
Rodgers inherited a team that already included the likes of former Real Madrid defender Nacho, prolific Italy striker Mateo Retegui and Julian Quinones, who enjoyed a stellar World Cup with Mexico and secured the SPL Golden Boot with 33 goals last season.
But Rodgers also saw his squad strengthened significantly during the summer. Moroccan left-back Souffian El Karouani arrived from FC Utrecht, while Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders was a statement signing from Manchester City for a reported £52 million. Al Qadsiah also raided SPL rivals Al Riyadh and Al Hilal to bring in defensive midfielder Ahmed Al Siyahi and striker Sultan Haroun.
They have started the new SPL campaign with two wins from three matches, including a 2-0 victory at Neom on Monday, with the goals coming from debutant Reijnders and a Retegui penalty.
“For us this year, we still have a way to go,” said Rodgers. “We finished fourth last season, so there were three teams above us. One of those was the champions [Al Nassr], one of those a very good Al Hilal team, and of course, the Asian Champions League winners [Al Ahli Saudi]."
“We were very competitive, but our mantra for me, and how I see it this year, is that we will be a challenger, and we won't fear anyone. We, of course, have a respect for those teams that historically have done very well in this league. But for us, we're here to disrupt the top teams, and hopefully we can do that.”
As well as the foreign talent at his disposal, Rodgers has also been impressed with the quality of local players – including Musab Al Juwayr, who was named 2024-25 SPL Young Player of the Season and 2025-26 SPL Saudi Player of the Season – and home-grown players in the league as a whole.
“The league in itself, for anyone coming here, whether you're a coach or manager, you'll be nicely surprised,” added the 53-year-old. “Clearly, there's a lot of international and European players here, which adds real quality to the league. I think it will be better again with more experienced coaches in the league, players still developing and growing, and yeah, should be a really exciting season.
“I have to say I've been really nicely surprised by the level of the Saudi Arabian players. Without seeing a great deal of them [before I arrived], they've got real, real good technique, their understanding of the game is getting better, and they have a real willingness to want to learn, which is great from any coach's perspective.
“We obviously have Musab here, who was voted the best Saudi Arabian player, and he's such a gifted player. His view of the game is at a real high level. Technically, he's very strong; his comfort, he receives the ball so well; he's in really good physical shape. And obviously, we've looked to impose more intensity into his game and more work into his game, and he's been really open to that.”
