Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro: Local Saudi players are lifting their standard
Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro has no doubts about the standing the Saudi Pro League now has in the game.
Castro took charge of Al-Nassr before the start of the season.
He said, “I felt that I had played the role in Brazil that had taken me there, lifting a Botafogo team that had come from the second division and that needed something done for it, giving it visibility, which was done.
I took advantage of the opportunity in the emerging League that wants to position itself in world football. A League that has Cristiano Ronaldo, Mendy, Mahrez, Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic, Otvio, Rben Neves, Fbio Martins… It cannot continue to go unnoticed.”
Castro believes that the difference in quality of the Saudi player is notable, given the presence of world football references, and that European signings do not see the championship as a pre-retirement competition and maintain a high pace.
“I want to grow to equal in terms of knowledge those who are above, that’s human nature. Those who come from Europe have to be the references. I notice a big increase in Saudi players and I don’t see a big decrease in those who come from Europe, Brozovic is doing the 13.5 kilometers per game he did in 40 or 45 Celsius.”
While tennis elbow doesn’t usually require surgery, it might be necessary to finally solve an injury that has been bothering the third baseman for the better part of two years. “The effects recently are more frequent and severe,” Acee writes, noting that Machado has been limited to DH-only duty over his last seven games. Even in a hitting-only role, Acee hears that “there are certain swings that cause [Machado] a great deal of pain.”
The injury hasn’t resulted in any time on the injured list for Machado, though he did miss a couple of weeks earlier in the season due to a minor hand fracture. However, the lingering elbow problem could explain Machado’s relatively disappointing season, as he has hit .253/.317/.453 with 26 homers over 545 plate appearances. While still a 112 wRC+, it’s well below Machado’s standards, particularly in comparison to the 153 wRC+ he posted in 2022 while finishing second in NL MVP voting.
Machado’s performance has been one of many factors in a very disappointing season for the Padres, who are 67-75 despite one of the game’s highest payrolls and a +73 run differential. With a playoff berth looking like a long shot at best, there wouldn’t be much of a cost for the Padres in shutting down Machado and getting his rehab (whether involving surgery or not) underway as quickly as possible to get a jump start on 2024.
