For Al-Hilal, 2021 has been close to perfect.
In May, the Riyadh giants defeated title-rivals Al-Shahab to win the Saudi Pro League title for a record 17th time. Six months later, Pohang Steelers of South Korea were beaten 2-0 in front of over 50,000 delighted fans to wrap up a second AFC Champions League title in three years and a record fourth continental crown.
Between May and November, Moussa Marega joined from FC Porto and in-demand Matheus Pereira arrived from West Bromwich Albion to strengthen an already strong squad. In short, it was all sunshine in Riyadh.
Yet, clouds have been gathering on the horizon in recent weeks and this stellar year is in danger of ending on a low.
On Friday, Al-Hilal lost 3-2 to Al-Fateh at home and have now taken just two points from the past four league games. If the all-conquering Blues fail to get their act together soon, the domestic championship is in danger of slipping from their grasp — and that means trouble for coach Leonardo Jardim regardless of what happened earlier.
When Al-Hilal defeated Pohang on Nov. 23, there were those who warned of the dangers of a domestic hangover from continental exertions, but nobody expected that a team that had gone 18 games unbeaten, with 13 of those wins, would stumble to such an extent. There was always going to be some work to do domestically given the games missed due to the Asian run, but it was almost seen as a given that the talented squad would soon get back into the midst of the title race.
There were two draws with Abha and Al-Feiha. Al-Hilal were looking a bit lacklustre and short of ideas going forward, but it was no big deal with the season not yet at the halfway point. But then came the losses against rivals Al-Nassr and now Al-Fateh, the club’s first successive league defeats since 2016. Both were deserved.
If Al-Hilal do not end 2021 on a winning note against Al-Faisaly on New Year’s Eve then this dip in form will become a full-blown crisis. After the latest loss, coach Jardim admitted his players struggled to handle the opposition physically and were slower to the second ball. He also pointed out individual mistakes, such as the chances missed by Saleh Al-Shehri and Salem Al-Dawsari.
These are comments that fans may feel are a bit worrying coming from the manager of the best team in Asia. The Portuguese coach, appointed in June, was also keen to remind fans that he was without the suspended Pereira, midfielders Salman Al-Faraj and Mohamed Kanno, as well as the versatile Nasser Al-Dawsari.
Yet such is the strength in depth available to the former Monaco boss that he was able to leave the last season’s top scorer, Bafetimbi Gomis, on the bench, a player who would walk into most starting line-ups in Asia.
Al-Fateh were also understrength, with six players unavailable due to COVID-19 and two further injuries. In fact, it was so bad that the club asked that the game be rescheduled, a request that was denied by the league’s authorities. Worryingly for Jardim, the fact that his opposite number Yannick Ferrara dealt with his absences much better has been noted at length by critics.
Amazingly, bitter rivals Al-Nassr, who have been going through coach after coach in a bid for success, have now moved above Al-Hilal in the table, partly due to a derby win earlier this month and Saturday’s victory over Al-Hazem. Also, leaders Al-Ittihad are now eight points clear of Al-Hilal and will soon be reinforced by the arrival next week of Abderrazzak Hamdallah, league top scorer in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. Despite the wealth of firepower at Al-Hilal, six teams have found the target more times.
If Al-Hilal have had trouble switching back to domestic concerns after recent Asian success, there may be more problems coming. On Feb. 6, there is the small matter of their opening game in the FIFA Club World Cup. Win that and there will be a huge clash against Chelsea three days later in a tournament that the club will want to take seriously in front of a global audience. Soon after that the 2022 AFC Champions League will start.
There is still plenty of time left this season, but Al-Hilal cannot afford to let the gap widen, and need to improve both in terms of performances and results. The club sees being the best team in Saudi Arabia as the “bread and butter” of their brand. Nobody demands the title every year, but any coach will struggle to survive if Al-Hilal fail to even challenge. For the most successful team in Saudi Arabian and Asian history, storm clouds have suddenly appeared in a sky that had been completely blue.
