It was a humiliating weekend for Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson’s Al-Ettifaq after they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Al-Riyadh in front of fewer than 700 supporters.
Khalid Al-Shuwayyi scored the winner in the 16th minute for Odair Hellmann’s side as Al-Ettifaq slumped to back-to-back losses for the first time this season. The result leaves Gerrard’s men in seventh and already nine points behind first-place Al-Hilal, who are still unbeaten from their opening 10 matches.
To make matters worse, Al-Ettifaq’s defeat was played with just 696 people in attendance. This is staggeringly low for a top-flight match, though Al-Riyadh aren’t one of the most well-backed sides in the Saudi Pro League. It isn’t the first time Al-Ettifaq have seen a crowd this low, as just 976 fans turned up for their 3-1 win at Abha in September.
In comparison, there were more supporters (702) at Clitheroe’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle Town in the eighth tier of English football on Saturday. Almost double (1124) were at Marine’s win against Lancaster in the division above, while 2122 fans were in attendance for National League North clash between Hereford and Curzon Ashton.
This is a completely different environment for Jordan Henderson, who was often playing in front of over 50,000 fans at Anfield for Liverpool last season. Even in away matches, the lowest Henderson would have played in the Premier League was Bournemouth’s 10,536.
It is similar for the other big-name players in the Al-Ettifaq squad, with ex-Everton winger Demarai Gray and former Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum in the XI against Al-Riyadh. Sweden international Robin Quaison led the line for Gerrard’s side, while Scotland’s Jack Hendry started at the back. Experienced forward Moussa Dembele is also at the club but he didn’t feature over the weekend.
As for Gerrard, he lamented his side’s performance as Al-Ettifaq’s winless run stretched to three matches, having drawn against a star-studded Al-Ahli and lost at home to Al Fateh.
“We didn’t show what was required of us,” the Liverpool legend said.
“We weren’t at the level we’d hope to be at. The opposition’s plan was clear to frustrate and wait for the opportunities. The mistakes cost us today, we gifted three points to Al-Riyadh.”
Gerrard’s stock as a manager has fallen dramatically since leaving Rangers in November 2021 for the hotseat at Aston Villa. He won the Scottish Premiership title during his time at Ibrox, winning 125 of his 193 matches in charge, before deciding to take the top job at Villa Park.
Having started his tenure at Villa brightly, it quickly turned toxic between Gerrard and the club’s fanbase, leading to his dismissal after a drab 3-0 defeat at Fulham which left them 17th on nine points from 11 matches. Unai Emery replaced Gerrard and Villa ended up finishing seventh under his leadership.
That, combined with his move to the Middle East, has dramatically reduced Gerrard’s reputation as a manager given the lack of quality throughout the Saudi Pro League. He will be hoping to guide Al-Ettifaq back to winning ways, however, when they travel to Al-Wehda on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are not exactly missing Henderson at the moment. Jurgen Klopp started with a new midfield three against Everton, with Ryan Gravenberch playing alongside fellow summer arrivals Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister as Curtis Jones served the second of his three-match domestic ban.