Al-Hilal's Title Credentials Under Fire: Nasser Al-Shamrani's Concerns
Nasser Al-Shamrani has fired an early warning shot at Al-Hilal’s title credentials, insisting their 4-2 win over Al-Faisaly on the opening day of the Roshn League disguised serious problems inside “the Boss”.
The club legend, speaking on the “Dawrina Ghair” programme, did not spare Simone Inzaghi or his players. The result was good. The performance, he argued, was anything but.
Bono’s beauties save the day
Al-Shamrani reserved his biggest praise for Yassine Bono. The Moroccan goalkeeper, he said, was the real difference between a comfortable win and a nervous night.
Bono repeatedly bailed Al-Hilal out, his saves keeping Al-Faisaly from dragging themselves back into the game and, in Al-Shamrani’s view, covering up structural flaws that have been visible for weeks.
“Bono’s beauties are too much for Inzaghi,” Al-Shamrani remarked, pointing to the way the goalkeeper’s interventions gave Al-Hilal room to make mistakes. With a keeper of that calibre, he stressed, the team enjoys a wider margin for error than their performance deserves.
Yet the numbers behind Bono’s recent run tell a harsher story for the defence, with a “catastrophic” figure recently hitting his net for Al-Hilal. The alarms are ringing, even if the points keep coming.
Koulibaly under the spotlight
From the back line, Kalidou Koulibaly also came under the microscope.
Al-Shamrani highlighted the Senegalese defender as a central piece of Inzaghi’s system. Koulibaly’s display, he explained, cannot be judged in isolation. His level filters through the entire side, shaping the team’s defensive stability and, with it, their chances of competing for every trophy.
When the anchor of your defence wobbles, the whole structure feels it. That was the message.
Same mistakes, same concerns
Despite the four goals and the opening-day buzz, Al-Shamrani was adamant: Al-Hilal showed nothing new from a technical standpoint.
The same errors that have dogged them under Inzaghi, he said, were still there against Al-Faisaly. Poor habits, repeated patterns, familiar vulnerabilities. The scoreline, in his eyes, must not be used as a shield against criticism or as an excuse to gloss over what is happening on the pitch.
He pushed the point further. Al-Hilal, he warned, have to correct these issues quickly. The level of competition in the Roshn League this season will be unforgiving, and the same lapses that went unpunished against Al-Faisaly could prove fatal against stronger rivals, no matter how many wins the team racks up early on.
The message to Inzaghi is clear and uncompromising. The Italian coach has his first real test not in the standings, but in the performance column. Al-Hilal have their desired start in terms of results, yet for a club of their stature, that is only the beginning.
Wins will not be enough. Not for this squad. Not for these ambitions.
