With Kanno and Al Dawsari, Al Hilal machine minus Neves keeps clicking

When a team go undefeated for as long as Al Hilal has in the Roshn Saudi League, it’s unfair to pin that success on one individual.

Every player, whether a starting regular or one who comes off the bench, or even those that rarely see game-time, every single one contributes in their small way to the unprecedented success that Al Hilal are having. But that’s not to say that some individuals don’t stand out, and one of those is certainly Al Hilal’s Portuguese midfield maestro, Ruben Neves.

Signed in the summer of last year from English Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers, then aged only 26, Neves arrived at the peak of his powers. At the time, he was linked to any number of the most prominent clubs in Europe. And from Neves’ performances from as soon as he pulled on the famous blue kit of Al Hilal, it is easy to see why.

Last season, as the capital club stormed to the title in an history-creating undefeated season, Neves ranked third in the league for passes, with an astounding accuracy of 92 percent. Also, he ranked first for ball contacts (2,966), second for assists (12), and third for big chances created.

There are countless other statistics that help paint a picture of the Portugal international’s importance to Jorge Jesus’ side, one that has continued from last season into this. If there was one player you thought Al Hilal could not afford to lose if they are to continue their march towards trying to achieve a second successive undefeated season, it would be their midfield conductor.

But a knee injury sustained last month in Al Hilal’s dramatic 5-4 victory against Asian champions Al Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite - one that required Neves to have surgery in Finland on his patellar tendon - has seen him out until the new year.

However, as they did last year when star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic was sidelined towards the end of last season, the Al Hilal machine rolls on. It is a testament to the team-first culture that Jesus has cultivated. When one cog in that machine breaks down, another is ready to slot straight in.

In the five matches across all competitions since Neves’ injury, Al Hilal have won four and drawn one. In the Portuguese star’s absence, his midfield partner in crime, Serbian Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, has stepped up his game, with two goals in three games in the RSL, underlining his importance to the champions as well.

But Milinkovic-Savic has had to get used to playing with a new colleague in the centre of the pitch. It’s there that a veteran and an emerging star are stamping their authority.

Mohammed Kanno, 30, and Nasser Al Dawsari, 25, have alternated in partnering with Milinkovic-Savic across the five aforementioned matches, and in their King’s Cup win against Al Tai even shared the midfield together. To their immense credit, they have been doing so to great effect. Neves’ unavailability has not been as keenly felt as first feared.

Kanno is a canny midfielder with a wealth of experience. He is a long-time contributor to Al Hilal’s success since joining the club in 2017. With the Saudi Arabia national team, he has performed on the biggest stage, including the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup. Without doubt, his quality has long been established.

Al Dawsari, no relation to his more famous namesake Salem, may be lesser known, but he has shown why those at Al Hilal rate him so highly.

Perhaps known best for his wonder strike in the opening 20 seconds of the 2021 AFC Champions League final, Al Dawsari has had to bide his time during the past few years. Yet he has been able to learn from some of the best in Neves, Milinkovic-Savic, Kanno and the recently departed Salman Al Faraj.

Patently, those lessons are bearing fruit and can be seen in the displays Al Dawsari has put in since being given an opportunity, starting the past two games against Esteghlal in the AFC Champions League Elite and then in the 3-1 league win against Al Ettifaq before the RSL paused for this FIFA international break.

The relative ease with which both Kanno and Al Dawsari have been able to come into the side and deputise for Neves will be of great comfort to both Jesus and his injured compatriot - safe in the knowledge that they don’t need to rush Neves’ recovery and, in doing so, risk further injury.

Al Hilal have five further fixtures before the mid-season break: three in the RSL and two in the AFC Champions League Elite. And, while they’d love to have their midfield maestro controlling things in the engine room, their success comes from not just one player, but the entire team.

The form of both Kanno and Al Dawsari is proof of that.