Club World Cup, with the'Al-Hilal Simone Inzaghi rediscovers Manchester City
The millions, lots of them, but also the expectations: to make Al-Hilal an international team. Simone Inzaghi is shaping his new adventure: the Saudi team he sits on the bench after his divorce from Inter Milan meanwhile earned passage to the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. In the U.S. came the first victory of the Inzaghi era, with a 2-0 win at Pachuca (Mexicans on their third loss out of three in the tournament) thanks to goals from Salem Al Dawsari and Marcos Leonardo: in the next round, however, the opponent will be the real thing, among the most fearsome on the field, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, an old acquaintance for Inzaghi. A sort of rematch of the Champions final played in Istanbul in 2023 and lost by Inter to the Citizens.
“It is a pleasure to face City and Pep Guardiola – Inzaghi’s words after the victory over the Mexicans – with him I experienced a Champions League final, he is the best of all and for him speaks the career he has had, and despite everything he always tries to improve. He plays fantastic soccer, these are the games that make us grow”. And Al-Hilal, according to international soccer experts, is now looking at it from a different perspective also thanks to Inzaghi’s work. Although he has only been at the helm of the team for a few weeks, the Italian coach “has already given Al Hilal a clear game vision, aggressive on the flanks and an’excellent connection between Joao Cancelo and Malcom” write the media.
Even the path in the round of the Club World Cup proves it: the Saudi bunker arrives at the knockout stage undefeated, after holding off Real Madrid and Salzburg with two draws, the first success also came. The club’s project is ambitious: the management has promised Inzaghi a team to be shaped in his image, starting with an already quite solid group with names like Koulibaly, Mitrovic, Ruben Neves. And Inzaghi is waiting for equally high-profile reinforcements: the first valuable name is that of Theo Hernandez, who has dissolved his reservations and in the coming days could finalize his move to the Saudi club. Which in any case is hunting for other pawns to make a team of European caliber
.
On the wish list is Osimhen, who, however, is resisting the mind-boggling 40-million-a-season offer. So is Messi. A series of jewels for Inzaghi who has a mission: to excel not only in the local league, but to make Al Hilal fly in the international arena. Now there’s City and “we just have to play as a team. Like we did against Real Madrid – says Ruben Neves -I played against them a couple of times when I was in England, and it was not easy. But we will do our best, of course. We will prepare the match as we have done so far and we will see what happens”. If Inzaghi were to pull off another miracle, beating Manchester, he could find his former Inter team in the quarters.
