Former Inter & Lazio coach Inzaghi under pressure at Al-Hilal
Simone Inzaghi arrived in Saudi Arabia as one of the hottest coaching properties in world football, fresh from back-to-back Champions League finals with Inter Milan and a contract worth a reported €26 million per season, making him the second highest-paid manager on the planet behind only Diego Simeone.
Right now, however, his golden seat is beginning to feel considerably less comfortable, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
What began as a dream appointment for Al-Hilal has unravelled at an alarming pace. The Riyadh club had stormed to the top of the Saudi Pro League with a seven-point cushion over their rivals, the kind of dominant early-season form that suggested Inzaghi had taken to his new surroundings seamlessly.
Then January arrived, and with it, the signing of Karim Benzema, a move Inzaghi himself had pushed for.
The results since have been deeply concerning.
Five draws from their last seven matches have seen Al-Hilal slip to third in the table, now four points behind leaders Al-Ahli, who count Franck Kessié and Merih Demiral among their ranks, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr also above them.
Al-Hilal dissatisfied with Inzaghi performance
According to Arabic media, the club’s ownership is far from satisfied, and supporters have begun openly calling for Inzaghi’s dismissal. Sacking a manager on his salary would represent an enormous financial commitment, but the reports suggest it is far from an impossible outcome.
There is a painfully familiar precedent for Inzaghi here. In his first season at Inter, his side held a seven-point lead in Serie A only to be overhauled in the final weeks by Stefano Pioli’s Milan, a collapse that still stings. Now he finds himself needing to reverse a similar deficit, this time against Ronaldo and Jorge Jesus’ Al-Nassr.
The next two fixtures will be decisive.
Al-Hilal face Al-Shabab, currently twelfth in the table, before turning their attention to the Asian Champions League last 16 against Al-Saad, managed by Inzaghi’s former Italy teammate Roberto Mancini.
Win both and the pressure eases. Anything less and the questions surrounding his future will grow considerably louder.