National coach Saleh Al-Mohammadi confirmed that the Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal match today (Wednesday) in the semi-finals of the King Salman Cup appears to be technically equal, with a relative advantage for Al-Ahli on paper, in contrast to the experience of Al-Hilal and its coach Simone Inzaghi in cup matches.
Al-Mohammadi explained that Al-Ahly relies on a strong defensive organization based on high pressing and direct marking of players, while closing down spaces and passing lanes to prevent the opponent from building play. He added that the team also tends to build attacks with long balls from goalkeeper Edward Mendy towards the opponent's area, aiming to force them back and win the first ball or to press for the second.
He pointed out that one of Al-Ahly’s greatest strengths is the quality of its foreign players, who form the backbone of the team, including Mendy, Roger Ibanez, Franck Kessie, Riyad Mahrez, Galeno and Ivan Toni, explaining that the stability and harmony among these players contributed to making the difference, in addition to the team’s effectiveness in capitalizing on set pieces, especially corner kicks.
Al-Muhammadi pointed out that one of Al-Ahli’s most prominent weaknesses is the inability to impose possession through short passing and control of the midfield, especially after taking the lead, in addition to some defensive observations on the flanks, along with substitution decisions and the technical deployment of some players in unfamiliar positions.
In contrast, he explained that Al-Hilal, under the leadership of coach Simone Inzaghi, often relies on the 5-3-2 formation with the possibility of switching to 4-3-3, and his style is based on defensive organization and medium or low pressure, while relying on offensive transitions and quick counter-attacks.
He added that Al Hilal’s strength lies in the speed of the attacking transition and the set pieces executed by Ruben Neves, in addition to the individual solutions provided by a number of the team’s stars such as Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Salem Al-Dawsari, Mohamed Kanno, Malcom and Karim Benzema.
Al-Muhammadi pointed out that Al-Hilal suffers from some defensive issues, most notably the instability in the full-back positions, in addition to some defensive errors, as well as changes in the formation and the technical deployment of some players in different positions.
He emphasized that the two teams' encounter in the Cup competition presents a different dynamic due to the knockout nature of matches. He noted that Al-Ahli appears to be the favorite on paper, but Inzaghi's experience in cup competitions could give Al-Hilal an advantage in managing such matches, especially if they capitalize on attacking transitions. He also pointed out that the absence of defender Hassan Tambakti, should his injury be confirmed, could be a tactical blow to Al-Hilal against Al-Ahli's potent attack, spearheaded by striker Ivan Toni.
The national coach Saleh Al-Mohammadi confirmed that the match between Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal today (Wednesday) in the semi-finals of the King's Cup appears to be evenly matched in terms of skill, with a relative advantage for Al-Ahli on paper, compared to the experience of Al-Hilal and their coach Simone Inzaghi in cup matches.
Al-Mohammadi explained that the Al-Ahli team relies on a strong defensive organization based on high pressing and direct player marking, while closing spaces and passing lanes to prevent the opponent from building play. He added that the team also tends to build attacks through long balls from goalkeeper Edouard Mendy towards the opponent's areas, aiming to force them to retreat and win the first balls or press to recover the second ball.
He pointed out that one of the main strengths of Al-Ahli is the quality of its foreign players, who form the backbone of the team, including Mendy, Roger Ibanez, Franck Kessie, Riyad Mahrez, Jallinou, and Ivan Toney, noting that the stability and harmony among these players have contributed to making a difference, alongside the team's effectiveness in capitalizing on set pieces, especially corner kicks.
Al-Mohammadi indicated that one of the main weaknesses of Al-Ahli is the inability to impose possession through short passing and controlling the midfield, especially after taking the lead in the score, in addition to some defensive observations on the flanks, as well as substitution decisions and the tactical deployment of some players in unusual positions.
On the other hand, he clarified that Al-Hilal, under the leadership of coach Simone Inzaghi, often relies on a 5-3-2 formation with the possibility of shifting to 4-3-3, and their style is based on defensive organization and medium or low pressing while relying on quick attacking transitions and counterattacks.
He added that Al-Hilal's strength lies in the speed of their attacking transitions and set pieces executed by Ruben Neves, along with the individual solutions provided by several team stars such as Sergej Milinković-Savić, Salem Al-Dawsari, Mohammed Kanno, Malcolm, and Karim Benzema.
Al-Mohammadi noted that Al-Hilal suffers from some defensive observations, the most notable being instability in the full-back positions, in addition to some defensive errors, as well as changes in the lineup and the tactical deployment of some players in different positions.
He confirmed that the match between the two teams in the cup competition has different calculations due to the nature of knockout matches, pointing out that Al-Ahli seems closer to winning on paper, but Inzaghi's experience in cup matches may give Al-Hilal an advantage in managing such confrontations, especially if they capitalize on attacking transitions. He also noted that the absence of defender Hassan Tambakti, if his injury is confirmed, could pose a tactical blow to Al-Hilal against the attacking strength of Al-Ahli led by striker Ivan Toney.
