Former AmaZulu head coach Pablo Franco Martin has been encountering a difficult start to life in the Gulf region, where he is the current head coach of Saudi First Division League club Al-Faisaly.
The Spanish tactician joined Faisaly merely three months after parting ways with the Premier Soccer League side due to a poor streak of results at the beginning of the 2024/25 season.
READ | Ghana player banned for 'throwing stones' at referee
Notably, a month following his arrival in the Gulf region, Martin recruited former Mamelodi Sundowns and Stellenbosch FC star Junior Mendieta, who had left Greek club Volos FC after spending only six months.
Nevertheless, the 44-year-old manager has been struggling in the Middle East so far, finding it difficult to secure positive results at the Burgundy of Sudair.
To date, Martin has collected 11 points from 12 matches, having lost five and drawn five games. Overall, Al-Faisaly is 15th in the 18-league table with just eight games remaining to be played, having earned 25 points.
Good news for Rulani ahead of big clash
Interestingly, the former Real Madrid assistant defeated log leaders Neom FC 3-2 in his first match after taking over the reins, but suffered a loss to the bottom-placed team Ohod, amongst other surprising outcomes.
Martin will need to ensure that Al-Faisaly wins all the remaining matches to dodge relegation, considering his team is only one point ahead of the 16th-placed side Al-Ain, with three teams set to be relegated at the end of the season.