AFC Asian Cup
Donis, who hails from Greece and was appointed last April ahead of Saudi Arabia’s FIFA World Cup 2026 challenge, believes his long-standing knowledge and experience in West Asia puts him in good stead for what lies ahead.
“I have experience of Saudi Arabia as a country and football,” Donis told the-AFC.com in a recent interview “I have worked here since 2015 and especially in the last seven years, I’ve worked here with teams of different levels.
“I feel all these experiences have made me understand the mentality of the Saudi players. As a coach, I have never looked at my team in terms of Saudi or foreign players, only what’s best for the team.
“Every coach has a different philosophy and ideas. It’s a big advantage for me to know the Saudi DNA and how to influence the mentality of players. The idea is to find the chemistry between the mentality and football style. If we can fix this and have success, we can bring results and win titles.”
“I feel all these experiences have made me understand the mentality of the Saudi players. As a coach, I have never looked at my team in terms of Saudi or foreign players, only what’s best for the team.
“Every coach has a different philosophy and ideas. It’s a big advantage for me to know the Saudi DNA and how to influence the mentality of players. The idea is to find the chemistry between the mentality and football style. If we can fix this and have success, we can bring results and win titles.”
The experience at the global showpiece would have given Donis a fresh perspective on his players after a difficult campaign that saw them exit the competition at the group stage.
An encouraging start of holding former champions Uruguay to a 1-1 stalemate did not provide the spark the team needed as it was followed by a 4-0 defeat to eventual champions Spain before a goalless draw with Cabo Verde sealed their fate.
The 56-year-old tactician admitted he is still searching for the right mix, adding that the team he builds will not necessarily consist of the best players but rather, a squad that will have the right ingredients to produce the best results.
An encouraging start of holding former champions Uruguay to a 1-1 stalemate did not provide the spark the team needed as it was followed by a 4-0 defeat to eventual champions Spain before a goalless draw with Cabo Verde sealed their fate.
The 56-year-old tactician admitted he is still searching for the right mix, adding that the team he builds will not necessarily consist of the best players but rather, a squad that will have the right ingredients to produce the best results.
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“I was a footballer before, playing in my country and then the Premier League in England. I have worked with many different styles of coaches. I think that the priority for me is to find the balance.
“It was very difficult before because I looked at the players as opponents. Now I look at them as the national team coach. When I look at the game today, I focus on different things. It’s important for me to understand and - step-by-step - make the profiles of the players.
“From the footballing side to personalities, we need to find the right chemistry. Sometimes you can have very good players but not very good teams.
“The priority for us is to find the chemistry and to make a very good team with the ideas from the coaching staff in a tactical way. As a coach I like details and the players have to trust the coach to then take it with them to the pitch.”
“It was very difficult before because I looked at the players as opponents. Now I look at them as the national team coach. When I look at the game today, I focus on different things. It’s important for me to understand and - step-by-step - make the profiles of the players.
“From the footballing side to personalities, we need to find the right chemistry. Sometimes you can have very good players but not very good teams.
“The priority for us is to find the chemistry and to make a very good team with the ideas from the coaching staff in a tactical way. As a coach I like details and the players have to trust the coach to then take it with them to the pitch.”
It has been three decades since Saudi Arabia last savoured continental glory, having enjoyed a glorious period between 1984 and 1996 where the Green Falcons lifted the biggest prize in Asian football in three out four consecutive editions.
The pressure for Saudi Arabia to return to their glory years is immense, with Donis well aware of the demands on his team, especially with the tournament taking place in their own backyard.
“It’s normal when you don’t win titles for many years, the pressure comes from the press but that is a norm in football life. Without the media and our ambitions, it’s difficult to give your best and fight for the target.
“At the same time, when the competition comes, it’s important for the media not to give pressure to the players. We have to use the time we have before the Asian Cup to win the confidence of the players and for them to be ready for every situation.
“After the World Cup, we have some time before the Gulf Cup, then more time before the Asian Cup for us to make the connection between the players - the experienced ones, the ones in the middle and the young ones. Important for all the generations to have the same ideas. The connection is very important for me to make a very good team.”
The pressure for Saudi Arabia to return to their glory years is immense, with Donis well aware of the demands on his team, especially with the tournament taking place in their own backyard.
“It’s normal when you don’t win titles for many years, the pressure comes from the press but that is a norm in football life. Without the media and our ambitions, it’s difficult to give your best and fight for the target.
“At the same time, when the competition comes, it’s important for the media not to give pressure to the players. We have to use the time we have before the Asian Cup to win the confidence of the players and for them to be ready for every situation.
“After the World Cup, we have some time before the Gulf Cup, then more time before the Asian Cup for us to make the connection between the players - the experienced ones, the ones in the middle and the young ones. Important for all the generations to have the same ideas. The connection is very important for me to make a very good team.”
Going into his first major tournament on short notice, Donis relied on experience with only Musab Al-Juwayr and Mohammed Abu Al-Shamat players under 25 years to earn starts at the World Cup.
That is likely to change as former Blackburn Rovers player Donis finetunes his selection with the preference going towards refreshing the squad and bringing down the age profile as he plots Saudi Arabia’s campaign for a fourth continental title.
“As a coach, generally I like to give chances to young players. I believe the Saudi players have good talent. In the past decade, there has been a change in the players because of the improvements in the Saudi Pro League.
“We have very good technical players so we have to find the players with talent. To have the connections between the Under-21, Under-19 and so on, to have the same philosophy as the first team.
“Afterwards, the door is open for everyone. I’m not interested in age, only the talent, characteristics and mentality.”
That is likely to change as former Blackburn Rovers player Donis finetunes his selection with the preference going towards refreshing the squad and bringing down the age profile as he plots Saudi Arabia’s campaign for a fourth continental title.
“As a coach, generally I like to give chances to young players. I believe the Saudi players have good talent. In the past decade, there has been a change in the players because of the improvements in the Saudi Pro League.
“We have very good technical players so we have to find the players with talent. To have the connections between the Under-21, Under-19 and so on, to have the same philosophy as the first team.
“Afterwards, the door is open for everyone. I’m not interested in age, only the talent, characteristics and mentality.”
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