Arab News | Al-Ittihad’s coach Wessing draws lessons from May 2024 loss to Al-Hilal to shape new campaign

RIYADH: Al-Ittihad head coach Jens Wessing has revisited the club’s 3-2 defeat to Al-Hilal in May 2024, citing the errors from that fixture as key benchmarks as he maps out the squad’s tactical overhaul for the current campaign.

Wessing, who took the helm earlier this season, reflected on the previous encounter at Kingdom Arena, where Al-Ittihad fell two goals behind before mounting an unsuccessful fightback.

“It was a painful defeat, and we faced one of the best teams,” Wessing said. “We fell behind by two goals, managed to score the second goal, and we were able to come back, but we were unlucky and also made some mistakes that helped Al-Hilal score.”

The manager insisted the earlier setback stemmed from execution rather than tactical flaws, using it as a case study to build player resilience ahead of upcoming domestic and continental commitments.

“The loss was not due to tactical aspects, but Al-Hilal capitalized on some mistakes and scored their goals,” he said. “We will take the positives from the match, overcome the negatives, and I am happy with the players’ mentality.”

Wessing emphasized that closing the chapter on past stumbles is vital as Al-Ittihad gear up for high-stakes fixtures, including their AFC Champions League campaign against Shabab Al-Ahli.

Addressing squad management and foreign-player limits that shaped past selections—such as the omission of forward George—Wessing noted the strict quota system: “He is a great player, and I love him, but the system only allows me to register eight foreign players in each match, and all the players who participated did their part.”

He also highlighted the performance of Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, calling him “the best player in the match,” while pointing to Mohannad Al-Shanqeeti stepping in for the injured Ahmed Al-Julaidan as an example of the squad depth required going forward.