RIYADH: As Saudi football continued to digest Wednesday’s news that the Public Investment Fund, the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, was officially acquiring the remaining ownership stakes in the league’s “big four” clubs, the fans of one of them, Al-Hilal, had other things on their minds on Thursday: the team’s form heading into their third match in six days.
While Simone Inzaghi was one of the few head coaches in the Saudi Pro League granted the trust to continue in his position for a second season, his team has done little so far this season to inspire supporters.
It truly is a striking concern. After all, this is the man who took Al-Hilal to a FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final in his first month on the job, a run that included a draw with Real Madrid and a victory over Manchester City.
He is also the man who secured the King Cup last season, finished second in the league after pushing champions Al-Nassr all the way to the last day, and was eliminated from the AFC Champions League Elite only on penalties.
He also boasts a stunning record of just one defeat in 55 matches.
A head coach at any other club in a similar position would would have no concerns about the security of his job. However, the environment at Al-Hilal has always been different from any other club. Jorge Jesus, for example, was sacked in 2019, midway through his first stint at the club, despite being top of the table.
That is not to say Inzaghi is under pressure just yet. Though concerns have mounted among fans, it is far too early in the season, even by SPL standards, to speculate that he might be dismissed, especially after three straight wins.
Granted, those victories were against teams of significantly lower quality: newly promoted Al-Faisaly and a limited Al-Fayha side in the league, and First Division Al-Raed in the King Cup.
On the surface, the results looked strong: nine goals scored, just two conceded. But look a little closer and the cracks start to emerge; cracks that might ultimately result in Al-Hilal surrendering the title by the closest of margins, as happened last season.
The 3-0 away victory against Al-Fayha on Thursday had the all the hallmarks of a team lacking cohesion. Build-up play was slow and labored, the center was left exposed on many occasions, and Karim Benzema looked anything but inspired.
The Al-Hilal faithful have never settled merely for winning. They want to win in style, to win with conviction, to win by striking fear into the hearts of their opponents.
The stark reality of the situation is that this version of the Blues have yet to reach their greatest heights, and fans will be hoping that these early games are just the precursor to a rise in tempo for the rest of the season.
Al-Hilal broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when a combination between Mohammed Kanno and Crysencio Summerville on the left ended with a strike by the Dutchman being parried by Orlando Mosquera into the path of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The Serbian responded quickly from a tight angle to make it 1-0.
Just 23 seconds into the second half, a long diagonal ball from Kalidou Koulibaly found Sultan Mandash in behind Al-Fayha left-back Rayan Enad. Unlike an earlier missed opportunity, when he skied the ball with his right foot, Mandash this time cut inside with a deft touch before slipping his shot past Mosquera with his left to double the lead.
In the 81st minute, Summerville had the opportunity to open his Al-Hilal account from the penalty spot, only for his panenka attempt to clip the crossbar and go out for a goal kick. Nasser Al-Dawsari wrapped up the victory in the 88th minute with his side’s third goal.
Al-Hilal now turn their attention to their next challenge, a trip to Al-Khaleej on Aug. 28, an encounter that has proved difficult for the Blues in each of the past two seasons.
On Friday, Al-Riyadh host Al-Nassr at 7 p.m., Al-Hazem face visiting Diriyah at 7:15 p.m., Al-Faisaly welcome Neom 9 p.m. in a repeat of this week’s King Cup clash (which ended 3-1 in favor of Neom) and, in the first big showdown of the season, Al-Qadsiah are at home to Al-Ittihad, also at 9 p.m.
