LONDON: Al-Hilal are hoping that Ramon Diaz’s familiarity with Saudi Arabian football means he can hit the ground running, with two huge games in his first week in charge.
There is a league clash against Riyadh rivals Al-Shabab on Thursday followed by the King’s Cup final against even bigger Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr four days later. Win both and the situation will be looking much brighter. Losing both does not bear thinking about.
The Argentine succeeds Leonardo Jardim, who left the defending champions on Monday, and returns to the seat he occupied from October 2016 to February 2018. That was enough time in Riyadh for the 62-year-old to learn all about the expectations and demands at the 17-time Saudi champions.
Jardim was given his marching orders primarily because of poor league performances and results that have left Al-Hilal in fourth place and a massive 16 points behind leaders Al-Ittihad who have played only two games more.
Being so far behind was always going to be dangerous for the man who led Monaco to the 2017 French title. By the time the game with Al-Shabab kicks off, Ittihad, who have won their last 10 league games, could easily have defeated Al-Taawoun and opened up a 19-point gap over their rivals. Regardless of what the Tigers do, Al-Hilal have to defeat their neighbors if they are to have any chance of staying in touch with the title race.
And it is not just about the title, but also getting into the AFC Champions League places. Missing out on the top three for the first time since 2004 is a real possibility. A loss against Al-Shabab would leave the Blues 12 points behind the second-placed team, with three games in hand.
Victory on Thursday then is essential but will be far from easy against a team that is on an unbeaten streak of 17 league games and will have a point to prove after Hilal took their star striker Odion Ighalo last month.
Then there is the final against Al-Nassr on Monday. Diaz won the King’s Cup in 2017 and if he can lift the trophy in his first week, he will not only clinch Champions League football for next year but it could also set the tone for the coming months. That is one reason why Jardim was dismissed, as the feeling was that winning the cup would not really change anything for the Portuguese boss. But it could give Diaz a huge kick-start.
To win those first two games is the immediate priority but there are plenty of papers lying in Diaz’s in tray at the King Fahd International Stadium that need to be dealt with in the coming days and weeks. Jardim struggled to accommodate some of the best attacking talents in Asia: Moussa Marega, Salem Al-Dawsari, Matheus Pereira, Andre Carrillo, Salman Al-Faraj, Igahlo and others would walk into most teams in the continent.
The addition of Pereira in August was expected to take the team to the next level but the Brazilian playmaker has not yet produced the kind of performances that were common in the English Premier League last season for West Bromwich Albion. He has yet to score in the league this season and Diaz needs to get his fellow South American in the mood and into more dangerous positions.
Diaz is also going to have to get Marega and new signing Ighalo firing together in attack. His predecessor played the former Manchester United striker in the middle and Marega on the right at the Club World Cup, where the Malian gave his all but never looked completely comfortable. Just connecting these jigsaw pieces will be half the job for Diaz.
At the other end of the pitch, the defense has not been performing at its best either, with eight goals conceded in the past five games. There have been concentration issues with the back line switching off at crucial moments.
There is something else. Diaz is not seen as an exciting appointment. This is not a surprise as he was fired from the same job just four years ago. His career since has not been that impressive either. There was a four-game spell in charge of Ittihad which saw three defeats and a draw, a time in charge of Pyramids of Egypt that was not much longer and then a quick return to South America. Then it was on to Dubai club Al-Nasr, which he has just left sitting mid-table in the UAE Pro League. His resume is nowhere near as good as the one belonging to the former Monaco manager who has just left.
Management may see Diaz as a safe pair of hands, but the Argentine is going to need a good start to get the fans on his side. Wins against Al-Shabab and Al-Nassr would do the job, but defeats could virtually end Al-Hilal hopes of winning anything in the coming months and run the risk of Diaz looking like a lame duck. The next few days are crucial.