Wissing Reflects on Al-Ittihad's Win Over Al-Hazm and Player Readiness

Al-Ittihad walked off with three points and a few bruises. A 3-2 win over Al-Hazm in the Saudi Roshn League kept the momentum rolling, but it also laid bare the toll of a brutal schedule.

Technical director Jens Wissing did not try to dress it up.

“We are happy with the win, and there is no easy encounter given the fixture congestion,” he said after the match. “We played five matches in two weeks, produced a brilliant first half and scored, but we lost our sharpness in the second half and allowed the opponent to attack. The most important thing in the end is securing the victory.”

Al-Ittihad have indeed been grinding. Five games in under two weeks. Four wins. No defeats. The record looks clean; the legs do not.

Wissing praised the start but refused to call it anything more than a platform.

“We are certainly happy with our start, it is a good one for the season, but we still have a lot ahead of us,” he said. “The transfer window is also still open, and we are studying our options.”

The subtext was clear: this team is winning, but it is not yet the finished article.

Diaby Left Out: “Not Mentally Ready”

One of the biggest talking points came off the team sheet, not the pitch. Moussa Diaby trained, yet did not even make the squad.

Wissing cut straight to the point.

“The answer is simple. When a player comes and says he is not mentally ready, he cannot be involved.”

No grey area, no half-measures. For Wissing, availability is not just physical.

“I want players who are ready, and in the coming period we have a lot of fixture congestion, so if a player is not 100% ready, I am not prepared to rely on him.”

The message to the dressing room was as sharp as it was public: in this run of games, there is no room for uncertainty.

High-Intensity Vision Still a Work in Progress

Even in victory, Wissing sounded like a coach still chasing his ideal.

“Since the start of the camp we have been working on developing ourselves, because we want to produce football that relies on high intensity, but we have not reached that yet,” he admitted.

The players, he insisted, are buying in.

“The demands I ask of the players are being carried out well, but they are not yet at the best possible level.”

The drop in performance after the break against Al-Hazm, in his view, had a simple explanation: fatigue.

“We played three days ago against Al-Qadsiah, and we exerted a great deal of physical effort, and that certainly affected us.”

Al-Hazm did their part to drag Al-Ittihad into a fight.

“We faced a side that wore us down with long balls, and we were forced to exert a great effort. Every team has its own weapons, and in the end the result is the most important thing.”

The result, again, went Al-Ittihad’s way. The performance, again, left Wissing with work to do.

Unwavering Backing for En-Nesyri

If Wissing was demanding with Diaby, he was fiercely protective of Youssef En-Nesyri.

The Moroccan striker has come under fire for his recent lack of goals, but inside the club, his standing remains high.

“Youssef En-Nesyri is one of my best players,” Wissing stated. “Since my arrival he has been one of the best players, and I do not care what the media or the fans say about him.”

Goals or not, the coach sees value that does not always make headlines.

“He may be unsuccessful in scoring, but he puts in a high and excellent effort, and that matters to me.”

Al-Ittihad leave this congested spell unbeaten, but stretched. Wissing has his principles, his system still under construction, and a squad being pushed to its physical and mental limits. The wins keep coming; the question now is how long they can keep this pace without the intensity he demands fully kicking in.