JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad manager Laurent Blanc expressed his frustration after a 2-0 loss at home on Friday to Al-Nassr ended their three-match unbeaten run in the Saudi Professional League.
During his post-match press conference at Alinma Stadium, Blanc said: “I’m having defensive problems that I’ve discussed before. I don’t have many solutions, as they depend on the available players. Currently, I only have Ahmed Sharahili and Yassin.”
He added: “Injuries are part of football, but the pressure of matches (every three days) has made the situation more difficult, and most of the injuries have been in the back line.”
The Al-Ittihad coach did not hesitate to acknowledge the strength of his opponents, saying: “We faced a stronger team than us, and that’s the truth that some may not want to hear.”
Regarding questions surrounding the defeat, Blanc said: “This is our first loss in a long time. We have achieved 17 wins and one draw in our last 18 home matches. So, I am surprised by this question, and we must review the results.”
Meanwhile, Portuguese Jorge Jesus, director of Al-Nassr Club, expressed his happiness with the victory over Al-Ittihad in the fourth round of the competition.
“It was a good victory against last season’s title-holders, but today we were better than them and could have finished with a score greater than 2-0,” Jesus said in a press conference after the match.
“I was surprised by the presence of a large number of Al-Nassr fans in Jeddah, and I was impressed by what the Al-Ittihad fans did during the match. This is a good thing for Saudi football, and I hope to see more fans like Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr.”
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