Pressure has been mounting within Al-Hilal recently, with a spate of injuries affecting several of the team’s star players, opening the door to a wave of controversy and accusations directed at Italian manager Simone Inzaghi regarding his role in this crisis, both in terms of physical preparation and training loads, at a critical stage of the season when ‘The Leader’ needs its players to be fully fit.
Al-Hilal has suffered a series of successive injuries this season, the latest being those to French star Karim Benzema and Saudi captain Salem Al-Dossari, which has heightened concerns within the squad, particularly given the repeated absence of key players at a crucial stage of the competition.
In this context, Saudi doctor Rakan Al-Wabel, a specialist in sports injuries, commented during an appearance on the programme “Al-Muntasif”, emphasising that the current situation is causing significant concern, saying: “We are talking about more than nine absences due to injuries, which is a very high number, and according to the standards of FIFA and UEFA, this indicates clear warning signs within the system.”
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He added: “Studies confirm that if the number of injuries exceeds five players per 1,000 hours of play, whether in matches or training, this indicates a genuine problem, which may lie with the medical management or the coaching staff, or be the result of high training loads.”
He explained that the Italian school, particularly the traditional one to which Inzaghi’s style belongs, relies on high pressure and increased physical loads, which increases the likelihood of muscle injuries, noting that most of these injuries fall under what is known as a “loading spike” , i.e. a sudden increase in physical load, a pattern also seen with coach Jorge Jesus, who adopts a similar approach to training.
Inzagi has come under heavy criticism recently due to a dip in results, the latest being a 2–2 draw against Al-Taawoun in Matchday 27 of the Roshen Professional League.