Season of transition for Al Sadd. 

Al Sadd undoubtedly grabbed the headlines last summer by announcing that FC Barcelona star Xavi had signed a two year deal with the Wolves. Immediately the midfielder was handed the captains armband, and many expected his presence would galvanize Al Sadd to mount a title tilt.

Everything started so well for Xavi and Al Sadd, a comprehensive  4-0 win over newly promoted Meisameer along with an assist highlighted a positive season ahead. Indeed Sadd only dropped points on two occasions in the next five games, winning three and drawing two against Umm Salal (2-2) and Al Khor (0-0).



Sadd managed back to back draws coming back from behind to save the points against Al Arabi in an entertaining 2-2 draw. However the fans had been voicing their dissent in Hussain Amotta’s tactics. Solid wins over Al Gharafa (1-0) and Al Kharitiyat (4-2) but a last gasp 4-2 defeat to rivals Lekhwiya, the first of Al Sadd’s season, was enough to convince management to relive Amotta of his duties.

The Wolves moved quickly to announce a replacement, with Portuguese tactician Jesaldo Ferriera drafted in from Zamelek in Egypt. The former Porto coach was no stranger to lifting titles, and was charged to change the side to play to a more dominant, attacking style of play.

Ferriera didn’t exactly have the desired impact in his first ever match as Al Sadd coach losing 2-1 to Al Sailiya. However Ferriera certainly delivered in his second match, edging out Al Rayyan 2-1 in the Qatar Classico in what was the best preformance of the season from the side. The match gave Al Rayyan their first defeat of the domestic season and the fans of Al Sadd a glimpse of what they could expect under Ferriera.




In a season of transition for Al Sadd it was a young Qatari player who stood out for the Wolves. Left back Abdulkarim Hassan was a regular starter for the side, and came up with a number of crucial goals for his team, including a last gasp winner against Al Sadd. The young defender also had a string of appearances at national level which lead him to deservedly pick up the  U23 player of the year prize at the recent QFA awards.

Going into the second half of the season, Al Sadd started poorly picking up only one win in their first five matches. It seemed that the side was having adapting to Ferriera’s training methods. Defeats to Al Wakrah (3-1) and relegation threatened Qatar SC (1-0) effectively curtailed the Wolves title ambitions and highlighted plenty of work ahead for Ferriera and his coaching staff.

Still the Wolves had to realise their top 4 ambitions and an eight game undefeated streak to finish the season confirmed a place in Qatar Cup for another year. Highlights from the end of season run included a 3-2 win over Lekhwiya and a solid 2-2 draw against QSL champions Al Rayyan, which suggested Ferriera had turned the corner with his team.



​After finishing third in the league, Al Sadd’s attentions turned to the domestic cups. The Wolves where knocked out in the Qatar Cup at the first hurdle, losing 3-2 to a spirted El Jaish side. Whilst in the Emir Cup, Sadd progressed to the final after beating rivals Al Rayyan 3-2.

In the final, Sadd seemed set to retain the Emir Cup. In the second half they raced to a two goal lead against Lekhwiya. However Lekhwiya pulled back the deficit and eventually ran out 4-2 winners in the penalty shootout.  The defeat was a bitter blow for the young squad, who will now look to prepare for the 2016/2017 season.

Despite not coming away with a domestic trophy this term, and being in a transition phase Sadd fans can draw plenty of heart from the crop of young players coming through notably Meshaal Al-Shammari, Nasser Al-Nasr, Musab Khodr and Hamza Al-Sanhaji. If management is patient, this could be the start of a golden era for the Wolves.