Coach of Al-Ittihad: Two Simple Mistakes Destroyed Us

Al-Ittihad's German coach blamed two early goals conceded as the main cause of his team's defeat to Al-Shabab.

According to "Varzeh Se", Saudi Arabia's Al Ittihad team lost to Shabab Al Ahli of the UAE in their second match in the group stage of the West region of the Asian Elite League with a result of 2:1. Both goals of the UAE representative were scored by Sardar Azmoun in the first minutes, so that the host team was in a difficult position very soon.

Jens Wissing, the German head coach of Al Ittihad, said after the match: "We had a tough game against a strong team. "It was possible to score more than one goal and leave the field with a positive result, but luck was not with us."

He considered the poor start of Ittihad as one of the main reasons for his team's defeat and continued: "The bad start affected our performance. We made some very simple mistakes and conceded two early goals. Naturally, we are disappointed and saddened by this result."

Al-Ittihad head coach explained about using another striker in the second half: "Our goal was to use long passes and cross balls better. "We had several different solutions, we had the ball in the opponent's field and we created opportunities, but things did not go according to our wishes."

In response to a question about the effect of fatigue from Saturday's match against Al-Hilal, Wissing said: "Two days ago we had a very difficult match and we faced difficult conditions on the way to the flight, but we don't want to use these issues as an excuse for failure. Changing players is a natural thing. "We analyze the situation, choose the most suitable people and make a decision that is better for the team."

At the end of the season, Al Ittihad's German coach confirmed the impact of the long tournament break on his side's performance, adding: "The first long break of the season definitely affected our performance and then we lost twice. Of course, even before the holidays, even though we were not defeated, there were problems in the team. "We will check everything in the coming days to improve the situation."