A gem in the wrong place: why is Inzaghi doing Ruben Neves an injustice?

Al Hilal's trouble starts at the back. They need to find cleaner ways of playing out from defence, especially against sides who press high and squeeze the space.

Neither centre-back can be relied on to build play or hit accurate long passes into the final third, so Inzaghi appears to be using Neves as the man to beat the press from deeper areas.

That fix comes at an obvious technical cost. Drop Neves alongside the defenders and Al Hilal lose the one player who can control the tempo in midfield and dictate from deep. He also drifts away from the zones where he feeds the forwards and manufactures chances. The Portuguese offers more than passing accuracy. He reads space well and knows the exact moment to shift the ball from build-up into attack.

Yes, Neves can still pick out well-struck long balls into the final third from those deeper positions. In the holding role, though, his menu widens: vertical passes between the lines, switches of play, receiving under pressure and rebuilding the attack.

So the issue isn't whether he can handle the defensive side of it. It's that he's being used too often away from the area where he hurts opponents most.

Most strikingly, Neves keeps producing at the top end of the pitch despite these shifting roles, having scored 7 goals and provided 4 assists in 11 matches across all competitions this season, for a total of 11 goal contributions.

For a midfielder, those are remarkable numbers. They show a player who finds dangerous areas and makes the difference, even when the role he's handed doesn't fully suit his attributes.

Neves posted strong numbers last season too, contributing to 22 goals in 43 matches across all competitions. His impact isn't limited to winning the ball back or organising play. He scores and he creates.

That tally raises a fair question. Are Al-Hilal getting the best out of him, or are they leaning on him for more than one job at the expense of his primary speciality?

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None of this makes Neves in the back line a mistake every time. Against certain opponents it works, especially when Al Hilal need someone who can pass under pressure.

Turn it into a habit, though, and the problems start. Al Hilal lose control of midfield, and Neves ends up solving build-up problems rather than creating numerical and technical superiority higher up the pitch.

Inzaghi has a balance to find between the quality of the build-up from the back and Neves's impact in midfield. That could mean returning him to the holding role more often, or finding other options that let the defenders start attacks without dragging the Portuguese back into the defensive line. In his natural position, Neves gives Al Hilal more ability to break down defensive blocks and dictate tempo, with his vertical passes and chance creation on top.

So the charge that Inzaghi isn't benefiting from Neves doesn't stand up. The numbers show a player adding a great deal. The real question is whether the coach is squeezing the maximum out of him.

Neves isn't just a man who can pass the ball out from the back. He's a pivot who can control a match and make the difference from deep. Deploy him better and the Portuguese becomes a far more dangerous weapon in this Al Hilal side, rather than a player burning part of his talent on fixing problems in the defensive build-up.