45 Minutes of Dominance, 45 Minutes of Doubt: The Old Threat Shadowing Simone Inzaghi at Al-Hilal

OmidBasir- Since taking charge of Al-Hilal, Simone Inzaghi has delivered exactly what the club expected — results. The Saudi champions have opened the season with nine consecutive victories across domestic and continental competitions, most recently a controlled 2–0 win over Al-Gharafa in the AFC Champions League Elite tournament.

The numbers suggest superiority. The atmosphere around the club suggests confidence. Yet beneath the surface, a familiar pattern is forming — one that Inzaghi knows all too well from his final year at Inter Milan.

A Growing Concern: Two Halves, Two Different Teams

Al-Hilal have developed a recurring problem: they dominate the first half, then fade dramatically in the second.

The results still appear convincing, but the performances tell a more fragile story.

• Against Al-Shabab, Hilal led early but struggled to retain control, especially after Koulibaly’s red card.

• Versus Al-Sadd, they were convincing before the break, tentative afterward.

• In the Clásico vs Al-Ittihad, the second-half drop in intensity allowed the opponent to grow — and only a goalkeeping error prevented momentum from shifting.

• Even against Al-Okhdood, one of the league’s weakest sides, a narrow first-half lead proved just enough — but only just.

This is not an accident. It is a pattern.

Inzaghi has publicly referred to “schedule pressure” — despite Hilal having played a reasonable number of matches and having benefited from international breaks early in the season.

The Déjà Vu Issue: The Inter Milan Parallels

This exact dynamic — strong first halves followed by second-half fadeouts — haunted Inzaghi’s final season with Inter.

• The squad ran out of energy during the decisive months.

• They lost the Serie A title to Napoli by just one point.

• They survived a marathon Champions League semi-final vs Barcelona, only to collapse 5–0 in the final against PSG.

• They exited the Coppa Italia in the semi-finals after another late-season downturn.

The warning signs were clear then.
They are clear now.

What Makes This Season Even More Dangerous

Inzaghi’s Hilal are facing:

• A congested schedule from December to February

• Injury recurrence across key players (Cancelo, Malcom, Al-Dawsari, Savic, Laajami, Nunez, Tambakti, and others)

• High physical-intensity matchups in both the league and the AFC Champions League Elite stages

Ironically, Inzaghi rejected participation in the Saudi Super Cup to avoid burnout after the Club World Cup.
Yet the fitness issues have arrived anyway — and earlier than expected.

What Comes Next

After the November break, Al-Hilal face a run of games every 3–4 days:

• Al-Fateh (League)

• Al-Shorta (Iraq) (AFC Champions League)

• Al-Fateh again (King’s Cup)

• Then a December stretch including Al-Taawoun, Sharjah, Al-Khaleej, and Al-Khaloud — with travel and recovery windows tightening.

If the second-half performance drop continues, the problem will not remain theoretical for long.

Conclusion

Simone Inzaghi has brought winning football to Al-Hilal — fast, structured, and tactically clear.
But beneath the victories lies an uncomfortable truth:

Hilal can’t keep playing only 45 minutes at full intensity.

The trophies Inzaghi came to Saudi Arabia to win will be decided in the second halves of matches and the final months of the season — precisely where his last European project fell apart.

The results are strong.
The warning is louder.