Al-Hilal's Opening Win Masks Deeper Issues, Says Al-Shamrani
Nasser Al-Shamrani did not let the scoreline fool him.
Al-Hilal opened their Roshn League campaign with a 4-2 win over Al-Faisaly, a result that would usually be enough to calm any early-season nerves. For the club’s former star striker, though, the performance told a very different story.
Speaking on the “Dawrina Ghair” programme, Al-Shamrani went straight for the level of “the Boss”. In his view, the victory simply covered up problems that have been lurking for weeks.
He argued that a squad of Al-Hilal’s quality should be operating at a far higher standard. The same errors keep reappearing, he said, and Simone Inzaghi and his staff now have a serious job on their hands if they want to turn a talented group into a ruthless, title-winning machine.
Bono the saviour, Koulibaly under the spotlight
One name escaped criticism. Yassine Bono.
Al-Shamrani highlighted the Moroccan goalkeeper as a key reason the game did not become far more complicated for Al-Hilal. Bono’s interventions, he suggested, were decisive in keeping Al-Faisaly from dragging themselves fully back into the contest.
“Bono’s beauties are too much for Inzaghi,” Al-Shamrani said, underlining how often the veteran keeper pulled his side out of danger. With a goalkeeper of that calibre behind them, he stressed, Al-Hilal enjoy a bigger margin for error than most.
But that margin has its limits.
Attention also turned to Kalidou Koulibaly, another pillar in Inzaghi’s structure. Al-Shamrani pointed out that the Senegalese defender’s display cannot be judged in isolation. His level, he explained, reverberates through the entire side, especially in a team built to chase trophies where defensive stability is non-negotiable.
Same result, same mistakes
Despite the four goals and the opening-day win, Al-Shamrani was adamant: Al-Hilal did not offer anything new from a technical standpoint.
He insisted the team is still suffering from the same issues that have followed them under Inzaghi. The scoreline, he warned, must not become a shield to hide what is actually happening on the pitch.
The message was blunt. If Al-Hilal want to live up to their ambitions this season, they have to correct these flaws quickly. The league will be unforgiving, the level of competition brutal, and stronger opponents will not be as generous as Al-Faisaly once the chances start to fall their way.
Even a run of wins, he suggested, will not be enough if those underlying problems remain untouched.
So, while the opening day delivered the desired result, it also handed Inzaghi an early examination. Al-Hilal have their first three points, but the criticism from one of the club’s icons underlines a clear demand: this team must play to the height of its potential, not just the width of the scoreboard.
The season has only just begun. The question now is whether Al-Hilal can turn warning shots like Al-Shamrani’s into the spark that finally drives them to the level they claim to be chasing.
