‘Clean Sheet’ Al-Hilal; How Al-Hilal’s Solidity is Powering Their Saudi Pro League Title Charge
Al-Hilal made it three consecutive wins in the Saudi Pro League after their 1-0 home win courtesy of a 30th-minute strike by Aleksandar Mitrovic. The win leaves Al-Hilal in full control at the top of the table, with the closest side, Al-Taawoun, three points behind.
The 1-0 win was also impressive because it was the 5th consecutive match in all competitions that Al-Hilal have kept a clean sheet. Their ability to shit opponents out means that even when they are not at it in the final third, one goal is enough to collect three points as happened against Al-Khaleej.
Al-Hilal, who are unbeaten in the Saudi Pro League after ten rounds of fixtures, have conceded just 7 times so far. This is the joint lowest conceded goals in the league alongside champions Al-Ittihad, who have also conceded 7 goals.
However, the difference between Al-Hilal and the faltering defending champions Al-Ittihad is on the ‘goals for’ column. While Al-Hilal plundered 27 goals, Al-Ittihad scored 19 goals.
When Al-Hilal’s record is compared to Al-Nassr, they have scored a goal less (27) than Al-Nassr (28). However, Al-Nassr has conceded 13 goals, which is six more than Al-Hilal have conceded in the campaign so far.
Al-Hilal’s unbeaten and table-topping form has been powered by the ability to be solid and compact in games. This means that they have won tight matches as well as winning the high-scoring ones.
Their solidity and compactness have been the difference, propelling them to the top of the table, it is likely to give them an edge in the title race.
