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Inzaghi's instant impact at Al Hilal
- Al Hilal have qualified for the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup
- New head coach Simone Inzaghi has been with the Blues for less than a month
- Face the might of Manchester City in Orlando on 30 June
Al Hilal are a giant of Asian football and with that standing comes lofty ambitions and a must-win mentality. The team's qualification for the round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup™ was therefore seen as something approaching a necessity.
The Blues remain undefeated at the tournament, having eased past CF Pachuca 2-0 in Nashville to finish second in Group H behind Real Madrid C.F., although their build-up to the global showpiece was somewhat turbulent. Having parted ways with former head coach Jorge Jesus in early May, the race was on to appoint his replacement before the Club World Cup got underway.
Enter Simone Inzaghi, who assumed the post four weeks later, and barely a fortnight before the team's opening Club World Cup fixture against the might of Real Madrid. The Italian was fresh off a stint at fellow Club World Cup side FC Internazionale Milano where the team had just suffered a 5-0 loss at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the UEFA Champions League.
Already Inzaghi has looked to implement some different ideas and tactical philosophies with Al Hilal and the players are embracing those adjustments, as midfielder Ruben Neves explained. “I'm the kind of player who likes the ball at his feet. I know I can make a difference in the build-up phase. Sometimes it's from deep, other times it's further up the pitch. It all depends on the game and the opponent,” Neves told FIFA post-match.
Al Hilal got off to a dream start in the tournament, holding Real Madrid to a 1–1 draw at Hard Rock Stadium. The Saudi Arabian side made life difficult for the Spanish heavyweights in a performance that saw them enjoy long spells of possession and pose a genuine threat on goal.
Although Yassine Bounou came to the rescue by saving a penalty from Federico Valverde in the dying moments of the match, the Blues showed their class and potential. Another player who has been delighted with Al Hilal's displays under Inzaghi is defender Kalidou Koulibaly, as he explained to FIFA.
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“Inzaghi is a top coach. I got to know him in Italy and played against his teams a lot. He had a great run with Inter Milan, making it to the Champions League final twice and winning the Scudetto. We haven't worked with him much in training, but his ideas are clear. He gets us to watch plenty of videos, and we chat a lot about tactics. Now we're seeing the impact on the pitch,” he said.
“When you play with either two or three at the back, it's all about defending well. The main thing is not to concede any goals. Our top priority is to stop them from getting on the scoreboard because we know that when we attack, we can take the lead at any moment. We all have to give our all for the team,” added Koulibaly.
Against a Pachuca side that travelled to Nashville knowing they were already out of the competition, they managed to carve out the result they needed thanks to a fine first-half opener from the mercurial Salem Al Dawsari and a late Marcos Leonardo settler.
“We can attack down the middle or from wide areas, depending on the opponent. We always look to find the open spaces that our opponents create for us. Some teams play one way, others a different way,” Neves said.
After securing second place in Group H, Al Hilal are now set to face Manchester City on Monday, 30 June, in Orlando. It will be a showdown between two sides with a penchant for keeping possession. Neves gave his thoughts on this clash of continental titans on the global stage.
“It will be a really tough game. We all know that City is one of the best teams in the world. But we also have to remember that we fought hard against Real Madrid in the first game and performed well. If we set up well, we have a fighting chance because we have some really talented players too.”
Koulibaly went on to explain, “We know that Manchester City is one of the best teams in the world. We need to believe in ourselves. We're not here on holiday, we're here to win matches. We know it won't be easy, but it's only 90 minutes or so. If we can keep that in mind, I truly believe we can do something special.”
