The fall of Union against Al-Hilal in the climax of the last round of the Roshan Saudi League has raised questions again about the ability of Portuguese coach Conceição to deal with the immense physical pressure the team is experiencing this season.

Union is facing a busy schedule of matches without rest periods since Conceição took over the coaching role, as the team continues its intensive training without interruption until the next international break after the match against Al-Ahli on November 8, according to the scheduled calendar.

The team will begin a series of tough encounters, starting with a match against Al-Nasr on Tuesday, followed by a game against Al-Khaleej on November 1, then an Asian match against Al-Sharjah on the fourth of the same month, before concluding the series with the anticipated Jeddah derby against Al-Ahli.

Despite the loss to Al-Hilal, Conceição decided to impose a training session immediately after the match in preparation for the clash against Al-Nasr, while the players who did not participate in the clasico underwent full field training.

Special sources revealed that the decision to exclude Rajkovic and Bergwijn from the clasico was purely for technical reasons, not due to injury, confirming their full readiness to participate in the match against Al-Nasr, pending the coach's decision.

Conceição made a technical decision to establish Hamid Al-Shanqeeti as the primary local goalkeeper, aiming to benefit from Mohamedou Doumbia as an additional foreign player in the midfield, following the injuries of Hassan Kadhsh and Muath Faqihi in the left-back position.

The coach clarified during the press conference that his choice was purely tactical, emphasizing his great confidence in Al-Shanqeeti, noting that the strategy focused on increasing density in the midfield to limit the danger posed by Al-Hilal players Savic and Neves.

On the other hand, Al-Hilal coach Inzaghi admitted that his team suffered during the first half from Union's high pressure, before managing in the second half to control the pace of the match through safer passes leading to the final attacking third.

Meanwhile, the duo Hossam Aouar and Awad Al-Nashiri from Union, along with Marcus Leonardo and Mohammed Kanno from Al-Hilal, underwent routine doping tests after the match, as part of the procedures by the Saudi monitoring committee.

The match was attended by four members of the analytical team belonging to the Union coaching staff, who followed the game from the upper stands of the Al-Inma Stadium equipped with special cameras to analyze performance instantly and accurately to support Conceição's work.

On the administrative side, Fahd Sindi, chairman of the Union Club's board of directors, made statements via X platform confirming that the team is still in the process of technical improvement, urging fans to continue their support and avoid self-criticism after the loss.

Sindi responded to fans' criticisms, clarifying that the new administration has increased the contracting budget fivefold since taking over, attracting three players in just ten days, along with changing the coaching staff four weeks after the new council began its work.