Mohammed bin Daheel Al-Juhani, former president of Al-Ittihad Club, held German coach Jens Weising fully responsible for the first team's four-goal defeat to Al Ain in the fourth round of the Elite Asian Champions League. Al-Juhani defended the current management, which recently took charge, calling on fans to be patient and not hold them responsible for this result.
Grave tactical errors
Al-Juhani said in an exclusive interview with "Al Riyadiah" on Tuesday: "Weising bears full responsibility for the loss to Al Ain, from A to Z. He committed grave errors in the lineup, tactics, and technical approach, in addition to his poor handling of the opponent and his insistence on not fixing the full-backs, which has resulted in most goals against Al-Ittihad coming through them."
Shock at not fielding Elniny
The former Al-Ittihad president expressed astonishment at the coach's decisions, saying: "In fact, I was shocked by Weising's decision not to include French striker George Elniny in this match. He remained on the bench until the 67th minute, and when he brought him on, he insisted on playing him on the wing, which nullified his impact, despite him being a distinctive, fast, and prolific scorer."
Calls for adjustment and patience
He added: "We cannot blame the management for the loss as they are new to the team, but they must sit with the coach and discuss his repeated mistakes. Adjustment is necessary, and discussing negatives is the path to victory and pleasing the loyal fans. I hope they show a little patience; the loss is possible, but Al-Ittihad players are capable of making up for it."
Al-Ittihad suffered a 1-4 defeat against UAE side Al Ain, hosted at the "Inma" stadium in King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, leaving them with four points in tenth place in Group "West". Al-Juhani previously served as club president between 2011 and 2012, supervised youth categories, and saw the team eliminated in the 2011 Asian Champions League semi-finals by South Korea's Jeonbuk.
Source: Arriyadiyah newspaper
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