Al-Ittihad's Mixed Emotions After 3-2 Win Against Al-Hazm

Al-Ittihad walked off with the points and a 3-2 scoreline against Al-Hazm in the Saudi Roshn League, but Jens Wissing’s tone after the game told a fuller story. Relief, yes. Satisfaction, yes. Any illusion that his team are close to their ceiling? Nowhere to be found.

“We are happy with the win,” the German technical director said at his post-match press conference, before quickly circling back to the strain on his squad. Five matches in two weeks. A flying first half. Then legs and minds that started to fade.

They “produced a brilliant first half and scored,” as he put it, but the rhythm snapped after the break. Al-Hazm were invited back into the contest, and Al-Ittihad “lost our sharpness in the second half and allowed the opponent to attack.” The scoreboard stayed in their favour. The performance did not stay at the same level.

“The most important thing in the end is securing the victory,” Wissing insisted, but the message behind that line was clear: this schedule is biting.

Al-Ittihad’s early-season record underlines the paradox. Five games in less than a fortnight. Four wins. No defeats. A strong start, but not yet a complete one.

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

Diaby left out: “not mentally ready”

One name on everyone’s lips was Moussa Diaby. The Frenchman trained, looked physically available, and yet did not feature. Wissing did not dance around the subject.

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

No grey area. No half-measures.

“I want players who are ready,” he continued. With matches stacked one on top of another, he made it clear there is no room in his plans for anyone short of full commitment. “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.”

That line landed with weight. In a squad full of big names and big expectations, mental readiness, not just fitness, is now a non-negotiable.

High-intensity ideals, heavy legs in reality

Since the summer camp, Wissing has pushed one idea hard: intensity. Al-Ittihad, in his mind, must run, press and compete at a level few can live with. The reality, he admitted, is still catching up with the vision.

“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 said.

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

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

The message: they survived a style that tested their energy and concentration. But if Al-Ittihad truly want to be the high-octane side their coach imagines, they will need to handle that kind of battle without such a dramatic dip.

En-Nesyri under fire, Wissing stands firm

While Diaby’s absence raised questions, another storyline has been simmering for weeks: Youssef En-Nesyri’s goalscoring drought and the criticism that has followed.

Wissing did not hesitate. He chose his side, and he chose it emphatically.

“Youssef En-Nesyri is one of my best players,” he declared. “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.”

The Moroccan striker has been targeted for his declining return in front of goal, but his coach sees value that numbers do not fully capture. Work rate. Movement. Sacrifice.

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

In a league that obsesses over marquee names and highlight reels, that is a pointed defence. The German is staking his authority on trusting the player’s contribution beyond the penalty area, even as the outside noise grows louder.

Al-Ittihad leave this latest test with another win, an unbeaten run intact, a squad stretched, and a coach who is demanding more from almost everyone. The results are already there. The real question now is how high this team can climb once Wissing finally gets the intensity he keeps asking for.