Steady start, but much more to come: Assessing Inzaghi's Al Hilal

Whoever the manager to step in to replace Jorge Jesus at Al Hilal, it was always going to represent enormous shoes to fill.

To coach at the Roshn Saudi League giants is to do so under intense scrutiny and expectation. They are a club that not just demands success, but perfection.

Two seasons ago, Jesus practically delivered that, winning the 2023-24 RSL without losing a game. By the time he departed Al Hilal in May, Jesus boasted a win percentage of 77 percent, triumphing in 81 of his 105 matches in charge.

That, then, forms the context around successor Simone Inzaghi’s appointment in June, the former Inter Milan manager installed to guide Al Hilal to even greater heights, both domestically and in Asia in the AFC Champions League Elite.

The latter, remember, is an arena in which Jesus came up uncharacteristically short during his time at the Riyad club.

For Inzaghi, his tenure got off to the best possible start at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, with a famous draw in Al Hilal’s opener with Real Madrid before their show-stopping victory against Manchester City in the last 16.

Barely a month into his reign – remarkably, the Real Madrid encounter marked Inzaghi’s competitive bow – the performances and results in the United States only served to heighten expectations.

Al Hilal were getting set for a fresh RSL campaign, where reclaiming the title they relinquished to Al Ittihad last season feels pretty much non-negotiable. Four games into the campaign, the beginning of that quest has been good, but far from perfect.

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On the plus side, Al Hilal remain undefeated with two wins and two draws, while their new recruits have hit the ground running.

Theo Hernandez, a high-profile summer recruit from AC Milan, looks very impressive, with two goals in three RSL games already, while stalwarts such as Malcom and Salem Al Dawsari continue to fire.

Perhaps interestingly, for a man known for his back three while in charge of Inter Milan, Inzaghi has thus far resisted deploying likewise at Al Hilal, sticking with a four - for the time being. Although, it is worth pointing out that formations are incredibly fluid, especially in a side as attacking as Al Hilal.

While Joao Cancelo and Theo Hernandez operate notionally as right and left full-backs – the former was recently ruled out for a sustained period because of injury – functionally the pair act more like wing-backs. That is to say, their starting positions are far more offensive than what’s written on paper.

This often means that either Nasser Al Dawsari or Ruben Neves drop back at times to create a back three, with the other pushing forward to supplement the attack. Nasser, therefore, has become a key figure in this Al Hilal side under Inzaghi, assuming a far more prominent role than he did with Jesus.

But it’s been far from a smooth start to the season. The two draws, against fellow title contenders Al Qadsiah and Al Ahli, will frustrate; particularly the latter in Jeddah, when Al Hilal led 3-0 with only 15 minutes remaining before Al Ahli staged an almighty comeback to snatch a share of the points.

There has also been a recent spate of injuries that has meant Inzaghi hasn’t been able to field the same eleven in back-to-back matches. No doubt, it has disrupted some of the rhythm and flow of the side through the early rounds.

Conceding five goals in two games, as they did against Al Qadsiah and Al Ahli, is most unlike an Al Hilal side, or any coached by the incredibly savvy Inzaghi, who has a reputation for developing teams with a defensive rigidity and solidity.

In those games, however, not only did Al Hilal deploy different starting elevens, but also alternate back fours, with the injury to Cancelo coming at precisely the wrong time given the importance of the full-backs to the functionality of Inzaghi’s teams.

To complicate matters, star summer recruit Darwin Nunez is also sidelined at the moment, as well as Malcom, creating disruption in attack as well as defence.

All of that left Al Hilal sitting sixth as they headed into the international break. While on paper that looks far below expectations, the reality is they remain undefeated and are merely two points off second.

When their full complement of players returns, there has been more than enough evidence across the opening rounds to suggest that, once again, Al Hilal will be firmly in the title fight.

For a club of their stature, that’s the absolute minimum required. For sure, Inzaghi will be fully aware of that, and the weight of history that comes with managing a veritable RSL heavyweight.