Bench Under Fire: Sami Al-Jaber Slams Al Hilal's Depth and the Mawalid Label as a Disaster
18 November 2025
Bench Depth Under Fire, According to a Legend
Sami Al-Jaber, Saudi football icon, has publicly criticized Al Hilal’s substitute bench, saying it is weaker now than in previous seasons and no longer delivers the decisive spark the club once relied on.
The team is dealing with injuries to several players, turning the reserve squad into a central challenge for coach Simone Inzaghi, who is trying to balance workloads and keep the squad competitive.
In a televised interview, Al-Jaber explained that most of the injured players at the current Saudi training camp in Jeddah come from Al Hilal, suggesting the preseason work may not have been up to standard.
He named three players—Hassan Tambakti, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, and Muteb Al-Harbi—as suffering muscle injuries, arguing that the preseason was insufficient, especially after the club ended the last season by participating in the FIFA Club World Cup and reaching the quarterfinals, which added pressure on the players.
He added that the departure of Jorge Jesus and the arrival of Simone Inzaghi have been major contributors to the muscle injuries, noting that different coaches demand different training loads and approaches.
Al-Jaber believes this season is among the toughest, with several players failing to reach their usual form. He warns that participation in the Arab Club Championship will strain players further, emphasizing that club squads of around 25 players face greater fatigue than national teams, which can call up replacements as needed.
The former forward expressed relief at the return of Joao Cancelo, who had been sidelined by a long-term injury, and praised the Turkish talent Yusuf Akçışik as a promising newcomer to the squad.
He added that Tambakti remains a pivotal defender for Al Hilal, alongside Kalidou Koulibaly, and that his absence would be a significant blow. If necessary, he suggested deploying Ruben Neves in defense, following the Portugal national team model, should Hamami be unavailable.
Al-Jaber urged the club’s management to rethink the composition of the squad and bench, advocating a greater reliance on local players rather than foreign signings. He argued that the hallmark of Al Hilal in the past was a strong local substitute pool capable of compensating for foreign players, and that expanding the foreign player quota to eight has destabilized the balance of quality.
He criticized the use of Mawalid—foreign-born players—calling the term a disaster and claiming it has harmed both clubs financially and in terms of performance, since these players occupy spots at the expense of local talents and often underperform according to the financial outlay.
Finally, Al-Jaber urged a long-term strategic rethink, stressing the need for a visionary coach who can see beyond a single season and align local talent with a sustainable plan for the club’s future.
In a separate tribute to leadership, Al-Jaber praised Hervé Renard, the Saudi national team coach, for acknowledging that the Arab Cup is not merely a warm-up for the Green Falcons. He affirmed that participation in any tournament should be aimed at winning the title and that the Arab Cup could become a meaningful stepping stone toward a 2026 World Cup campaign. Renard’s approach, Al-Jaber said, will help align the national team with the broader program and ensure a consistent core for both club and country.
The Saudi national team will host Algeria in a preparatory friendly at the Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah as part of the Falcons’ build-up to the Arab Cup in Qatar, which runs from December 1 to 18. The group also includes Morocco, and the winners of ties involving Oman–Somalia and Comoros–Yemen. The Green Falcons recently beat Ivory Coast 1-0 in a friendly, edging closer to the Arab Cup challenge. It’s also worth noting that Nasser Al-Johar’s tenure as Saudi national team coach stands at 61 matches, placing him at the top of the green bench’s international tally.
Two punchlines to puncture the tension: first, if depth is a problem, hire a bench warmer who doubles as a tactical consultant—free coffee included. second, football is a game of inches, but in Al Hilal’s case it seems to be a game of inches plus a few extra injuries just to keep the doctors employed.
