Pappas praises Al-Ettifaq’s performance despite the draw with Al-Faisaly and demands that control be converted into goals

Australian Arthur Pappas, coach of Al-Ettifaq, said that his team gave a strong performance against Al-Faisaly, despite the scoreless draw, pointing out that the problem is the failure to translate control and opportunities into goals.

Pappas stressed, during the press conference after the match: “I cannot put more pressure on my team’s players, as they gave a strong performance, and we reached Al-Faisaly’s goal about 25 times, while the opponent reached our goal on only 3 occasions.”

Regarding the draw, which was described as disappointing for the two teams, and what the team can offer against Al-Qadisiyah, on Friday, Pappas answered Al-Sharq Al-Awsat’s question: “We do not have time to make many changes before the next confrontation, and we must correct what can be corrected. It is important that we activate our attacking position, and turn our control and access to the opponents’ goal into tangible results through scoring.”

In turn, Italian Giovanni Solinas, coach of Al-Faisaly, confirmed that the high temperature affected the level of his team’s confrontation with Al-Ettifaq, praising, at the same time, the fighting spirit that his players showed throughout the match.

Giovanni said in the press conference: “The temperature affected the state of the match, but my players fought until the end, and I salute them for what they did, and therefore the result of a draw in this match can be accepted.”

The Al-Faisaly coach responded to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the team’s failure to perform at the desired levels and results during the past rounds, stressing that evaluating the team in this way is “unfair,” noting that Al-Faisaly presented distinguished matches and matches against a number of competitors. Among them are “Al-Hilal” and “Al-Qadisiyah”.

Giovanni explained that the technical staff works according to the available capabilities, saying: “I agree that Al-Faisaly does not have players at a level comparable to some clubs, and we have not concluded major deals, and these are our financial conditions and capabilities, and we work according to the allocated budget, but I must protect my team’s players, defend them, and praise them, not belittle them.”

Al-Ittihad Club announced the absence of the trio, Ahmed Al-Julaidan, Mukhtar Ali, and Predrag Rajkovic, from facing Al-Fayhaa, after the medical examinations they underwent showed the nature of the injuries they suffered during the last Al-Nasr match.

The Federation explained, in a medical report, that the examinations conducted for the players at the International Medical Center, the club’s medical partner, confirmed that Ahmed Al-Jalidan was injured in the posterior muscle of the left thigh, while Mukhtar Ali suffered from an injury in the right connective muscle.

Tests also revealed that Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic suffered a tear in the abdominal wall muscles on the right side.

The club confirmed that the three players have begun their rehabilitation programs under the supervision of the medical staff, and that updates on their recovery from the injury will be revealed later.