Al-Ittihad 2021/22: How the Jeddah giant’s title charge has slipped away – tactical analysis

Chasing their first Saudi Pro League title since the 2008/09 season, Al-Ittihad have collapsed at the business end of the season. The team from Jeddah have topped the table in 22 of the 29 completed matchdays so far this season, but three wins in their last seven league games have taken the title out of Al-Ittihad’s hands. Al-Hilal now lead heading into the final game of the season, looking to win their third consecutive title, and their fifth in six years. Despite being level on points, Al-Hilal’s two victories over Al-Ittihad means Asia’s most decorated club is top of the league by their head-to-head record.

Although, the title could’ve been handed to the team from Riyadh on Thursday night. Al-Ittihad came from behind against Al-Ettifaq to win 3-1 and keep the title race alive, thanks to a quickfire Romarinho brace and a late goal from Abderazak Hamdallah. With Al-Ittihad’s inconsistent form and Al-Hilal being a proven winning machine, a first title in 13 years looks unlikely for Al-Ittihad, but the season is not over yet. In this tactical analysis in the form of a team scout report, we will discuss manager Cosmin Contra’s tactics that have brought The Tigers close to the Saudi Pro League title, but maybe not quite close enough.

In possession

Al-Ittihad mainly take short goal-kicks, finding the centre-backs. The common shape in the build-up phase is a 2-4, with the full-backs on the same horizontal line as the midfield double pivot. With this shape and the lack of staggered positioning from the double pivot in particular, the centre-backs struggle to accurately find forward passing options that can allow Al-Ittihad to progress possession. As title challengers, this build-up struggle is quite bizarre. Al-Ittihad rank second-bottom in the league for passes into the final third and third-bottom for progressive passes.

The figure above shows the 2-4 build-up shape in their title clash with Al-Hilal. Receiving off the backup goalkeeper Rakan Al-Najar, the former West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazy plays a square pass to centre back partner Ziyad Al-Sahafi. The opposition rarely pressures the Al-Ittihad defence, knowing that a structure preventing the double pivot from playing forwards will simply trouble their build-up.

The image shows Al-Hilal’s structure against the 2-4 build-up, with players positioned on the back of Al-Ittihad’s double pivot. The left-winger Michael can easily close down Al-Ittihad’s right-back to prevent a forward pass and the former Manchester United loanee and Watford star Odion Ighalo can also provide pressure as the lone striker. With this build-up shape, all the possession is in front of Al-Hilal, requiring movement from the Al-Ittihad four to occupy spaces that perturbed the oppositions shape. From the example, André André and Bruno Henrique in the double pivot can only receive with their back to goal, unable to accurately execute forward passes.

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