German Jens Vissing, Al-Ittihad coach, confirmed his team's readiness to face Al-Ain, UAE, scheduled for Monday in the elite AFC Champions League competitions, indicating that his team is aware of the strengths and weaknesses of its competitor, and is looking forward to presenting a performance that reflects its development in the recent period.
Vissing said during the press conference: “It is a confrontation we are looking forward to against a strong team. We want to show our character and we are ready for it.” We have a final training session to prepare, and we will be fully prepared.”
Regarding how to deal with Al Ain’s strength and the possibility of changing Al-Ittihad’s style, he said: “Al Ain is a strong and wonderful team, and we also have the elements and capabilities. We are in a stage of development and have reached a good level, but the road is still long, and we have a goal and ambition that we want to achieve, and the players know what I want from them.”
The Al-Ittihad coach touched on the policy of rotation between strikers, explaining that distributing loads requires him not to rely on one player, given that the team has played 17 matches so far. He said: “We have George, Youssef, and Saleh, and the latter also has an influence in the locker room. The team spirit is wonderful, and each striker supports the other, and it is my duty as a coach to distribute the loads, as one player cannot play all the matches.”
Regarding the condition of the injured Roger and Doumbia, Vissing indicated that the duo is working well to return, adding: “I am happy with their presence and their work, and it is not my job to follow the development of their condition during the recovery phase, but I see their spirit with the group and the work they are doing to return.”
Regarding the lack of a wide rotation against Abha, despite the pressure of matches and travel before facing Al Ain, he said: “I am not happy about losing two points, and Abha knew how to defend. If we had won, the questions would have changed. The opponent had two chances, and if we had been able to score our chances, everything would have been different. Rotation decisions depend on many aspects, and my job is to make the best decision.”
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about Al-Ain’s ability to exploit spaces, and whether the confrontation with Shabab Al-Ahly constituted a lesson for the Union, Vissing said: “We spoke several times after that confrontation, and there were specific circumstances that accompanied it, and we overcame them. We studied Al Ain’s strengths and weaknesses well, and we know how it attacks and how it defends, and we will work to exploit our strengths and its weaknesses.”
For his part, Mukhtar Ali, Al-Ittihad player, stressed the team’s aspiration to achieve victory and make its fans happy. He said: “As the coach mentioned, we are excited about the confrontation, and we look forward to presenting victory to the Al-Ittihad fans, in addition to showing a beautiful performance.”
He added: “The aspirations of the fans are great, and the least we can offer is victory.” The players know their responsibility, and I hope the stadium will be full so that we can make the fans happy.”
In response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about how comfortable he is with playing in the defensive position (6), and what the position requires in terms of physical strength and defensive roles, Mukhtar Ali said: “We have the coach’s trust to play in the appropriate way, and not just me, but all the players. We enter the stadium to have fun; Because we have complete confidence.”
Brian Mbeumo, the English football team player for Manchester United, confirmed that the team's players still trust each other, despite their teammate Lisandro Martinez receiving an unnecessary red card during the match that the team lost to Chelsea, which increased pressure on coach Michael Carrick.
British news agency PA Media reported that Manchester United lost 0-2 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, falling to seventeenth place in the English Premier League standings, after suffering its third loss in a row.
It is also the ninth match in a row during which the team failed to win in various competitions, which is its worst record in 38 years, and it was affected by the expulsion of Martinez, who received two warnings within just two minutes in the second half, after Morgan Rogers gave Chelsea the lead.
Martinez, whose frank reaction to the quiet transfer window earlier in October reflected the extent of the turmoil surrounding the club, left coach Carrick facing an almost impossible task of saving the game in west London, and perhaps his job as well.
It remains unclear whether the 45-year-old coach will continue in his position during the team’s match against Roma at home next Tuesday in the Champions League.
Striker Mbeumo told reporters: “There is a lot of disappointment. “I think we played a good match, especially in the first half.”
He added: “Everything was good, the mentality and the work rate. “I think the win will come.”
Martinez had already received a yellow card for a violent intervention on Rogers, while his team was 0-1 behind in the second half, and he unnecessarily put his arm around Wesley Fofana's neck, at a time when the ball was heading away from a corner kick without danger.
The referee showed the second yellow card and awarded a penalty kick, which Cole Palmer succeeded in converting into a goal after putting the ball past Ceni Lamins.
However, Mbeumo refused to directly blame the Argentine player.
He said: “I feel that everyone was interconnected, and even those who made mistakes, we were by their side. When someone performs well, everyone is there to benefit from it.”
He continued: “We still trust everyone. Even after we played incomplete, we felt a little disappointed in the end, but I think we gave it our all.”
He explained: “Maybe we just missed taking advantage of some opportunities.” “We could have taken the lead early in the match, but this is a positive aspect that we can take away from the match.”
