Simone Inzaghi says Al Hilal’s second-half drop-off against Al Faisaly was caused by a reduced contribution from some players, but believes the Saudi Pro League side can improve after opening their campaign with a 4-2 victory.
The Italian manager guided Al Hilal to victory at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh on Friday, as the club began the new Saudi Pro League season with three points.
Al Hilal appeared to have settled the contest before half-time, establishing a commanding 3-0 lead. However, their performance changed significantly after the interval and Al Faisaly scored twice within five minutes to bring the match back to life.
“In the first half we played brilliantly, and in the second half there was a lack of effort from some players, but we can improve that,” Inzaghi said in comments reported by Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
“The level dropped in the second half, and this was something we, as a coaching staff, suffered from, but we are always working to make our fans happy.”
The result nevertheless gave Al Hilal a winning start under Inzaghi, who also addressed the absence of France defender Theo Hernandez.
Hernandez has trained with the squad during the recent period but was not included in the matchday side. Inzaghi explained that the full-back had joined the group later than his team-mates and had not completed enough training sessions to be considered ready.
“Theo Hernandez arrived late to the group and did not have enough training sessions. We will see him with the team soon,” said Inzaghi.
The manager was also asked about the future of Brazilian winger Malcom, who has been linked with a move to newly promoted Saudi Pro League club Al-Diriyah during the current summer transfer window.
Malcom delivered an impressive performance against Al Faisaly, and Inzaghi urged him to maintain that standard. However, the Al Hilal boss declined to comment on whether the player could leave, saying transfer decisions belonged to the club’s sporting administration.
“Malcom played an excellent match, and he has to continue performing at this level. I do not want to talk about the transfer window because that is a matter for the sporting administration,” Inzaghi said.
The Italian also played down an apparent disagreement involving Karim Benzema after the France striker reacted to being substituted in the 70th minute.
Asked what had been said between the pair after the match, Inzaghi described the exchange as a private conversation between a manager and his player, involving both humour and discussion about the game.
“It was a conversation between a coach and his player. It included jokes and talk about the events of the match. As a striker, he always works to be involved in the attacking phases,” he said.
Inzaghi ended his media briefing by praising Al Hilal’s younger players and promising opportunities in the future.
“We have players of a high level, and Sabri Dahl will get his chance in the future, along with the rest of the young players,” he added.
