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Can the Portuguese coach take the title?
The clash between Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nasr and Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal looks completely different this time around for Portugal’s Jorge Jesus, who goes into the upcoming derby with specific motivations beyond just chasing three points or closing in on the Saudi Roshen League title.
The Portuguese coach, who has shaped much of Al Hilal’s identity in recent years, now faces the ideal opportunity to exact football revenge on his former side after failing to beat Al Zaim since stepping down as manager in May last year, as well as losing the first leg 1-3, a result fresh in his mind leading up to this summit.
Stuck in the middle of the crescent moon
Jesus is well aware that facing a team led by Italian Simone Inzaghi cannot be determined by individual skills or attacking power alone, but rather requires a precise tactical battle starting from the midfield.
Therefore, the Portuguese coach’s main idea seems to be based on suffocating Al Hilal in his preferred areas, through high pressure on the ball carrier and continuous convergence of the lines, with the aim of closing the spaces and preventing the blue team from making quick passes, which are its most dangerous weapons this season.
Jesus wants to force Al Hilal to abandon their style of gradual build-up and comfortable possession and push them into long plays or random balls, scenarios that give Al-Nasr more opportunities to win the ball back and attack quickly.
Hitting the sides… the weapon on which victory is bet
As well as pressing deep, Jesus plans to target the spaces at the back of Al Hilal, especially with Theo Hernandez’s clear attacking propensity and lack of stability down the right front.
Al-Nasr bet on speed and direct passing, taking advantage of their players’ ability to dart into open spaces to attack Al-Hilal’s defense before it recovers, the same method that gave many teams dangerous chances against Al-Zaim during the season.
The presence of players with the ability to move between the lines gives Al-Nasr additional solutions to penetrate Al-Hilal’s defense, especially if the team manages to break the initial pressure and open up the field quickly.
Inzagi tries to break the pressure
Inzaghi, on the other hand, is fully aware of what to expect in the derby, so he will look to counter Al-Nasr’s pressure with quick passes and reverse moves behind focus players, while relying on clever ball spin to break up the opposition’s run.
Al-Hilal will look to exploit any vacuum created behind Al-Nasr’s pressure, especially as overdoing the advantage can give Al-Zaim’s players ideal spaces to drive towards the opposition’s goal, making the tactical battle between the coaches one of the most interesting aspects of the match.
Poignant absences confound the Jesus stories
For all the offensive ideas and big ambitions, Jesus faces a real crisis before the confrontation, represented by the certain absence of the Brazilian Angelo Gabriel, in addition to the possibility that Abdullah Al-Khaibari is not ready.
These absences could force the Portuguese coach to change his calculations and play more conservatively than expected, especially as the loss of elements of balance in midfield could jeopardize victory against a team that uses space and rebounds well.
Read also… Broken wings and shocking absences. Who beats the other in Al Hilal vs Al Nasr derby?
Read also… Jesus. I created Al Hilal… and we will not give up the league
Between the desire for revenge, the pressure of the title and the complications of absences, Jesus faces one of the toughest matches of his season, but it could also be the match that gives him his biggest win against Al Hilal since leaving the coaching job.
