Croatian Marino Pusic, Al-Ahly coach, stressed the importance of rotating players in the next stage, in light of the pressure of matches locally and continentally, noting that he rested a number of his members during the last confrontation, in preparation for the next match against Al-Wasl, UAE.
Pusic said that the technical staff takes the pressure of matches into account when dealing with the readiness of the players, explaining: “Today I rested a number of players to deal with the upcoming pressures, and we have a match against Al-Wasl of the UAE in two days, and our next opponent is difficult and I know his capabilities, so I took into account the principle of rotation.”
Al-Ahly coach expressed his happiness with the positive return of the team after the hiatus, stressing that the players gave a distinguished performance despite the absence of a number of essential elements due to their international connections with their country’s national teams.
He added: “During the pause, we worked with the players we had, despite the absence of a group of stars, and yet we achieved a distinguished start after returning.”
Pusic pointed to the difficulties that his team faced during the recent period, in light of the crowded match schedule, saying: “Al-Ahly played about 10 matches under great pressure, considering that the team deserved better results in a number of confrontations, but it did not succeed in achieving them.”
Irishman Brendan Rodgers, coach of Al-Qadisiyah, expressed his happiness with the level of his team’s performance against Al-Khuloud, following the massive 5-0 victory, stressing that the spirit and desire shown by the players reflected the extent of the development that the team witnessed during the last period.
Rodgers said in the press conference after the match: “What pleased me today was the hunger that the team showed for eternity. Since my arrival here, I have seen great development, and we have reached a final, and I love to watch my team play like this.”
The Al-Qadisiyah coach indicated that his team made an excellent start despite the climatic conditions, explaining that the improved weather gives the players an advantage in terms of speed and performance, but at the same time he stressed that the team is still in the construction phase, and that the road ahead is long in light of the multiple competitions and successive matches.
In his response to Asharq Al-Awsat’s question about the advice he gives to Musab Al-Jawir, after he was excluded from the Saudi national team’s camp in Jeddah during the “Gulf 27” tournament, Rodgers praised Al-Jawir’s capabilities, stressing that his role is not limited to the technical side on the field.
He said: “Musab is a great talent and has great potential, but like any young player, he may make mistakes. My role as a coach is to help the players on and off the field, and today he gave an exceptional performance, and I expect him to learn from what happened.”
Al-Ahly scored 4-0 against its host Al-Fateh, in the match that brought them together in the eighth round of the Saudi Professional League.
Al-Ahly raised its score to 15 points in fifth place, while Al-Fateh’s score froze at 3 points in seventeenth place (penultimate).
Al-Ahly took the lead through Francisco Trincao in the 31st minute, and the same player returned to score the second goal in the 50th minute.
In the 60th minute, Ivan Toni scored the third goal for Al-Ahly, while his colleague Ziad Al-Juhani completed the quadruple in the 89th minute.
