Al-Ittihad Secures Win Over Al-Hazm as Wissing Emphasizes Trust

Al-Ittihad walked off with the points and a few bruises. A 3-2 win over Al-Hazm in the Saudi Roshn League kept their unbeaten start intact, but it also exposed the strain of a relentless schedule that has already begun to bite.

Technical director Jens Wissing did not try to dress it up.

“We are happy with the win, and there is no easy encounter given the fixture congestion,” he said after the game. “We played five matches in two weeks, produced a brilliant first half and scored, but we lost our sharpness in the second half and allowed the opponent to attack. The most important thing in the end is securing the victory.”

Five games in under a fortnight. Four wins. No defeats. The numbers flatter the legs that are clearly starting to feel heavy.

Fast start, fading legs

Al-Ittihad’s first-half display fit the profile Wissing wants: front-foot, high-intensity football, with the game largely under their control. They got their goals, imposed their rhythm and looked like a side that could run away with it.

Then the fuel gauge dropped.

The second half turned into a grind, Al-Hazm forcing them backwards and into mistakes as Al-Ittihad’s intensity dipped. Wissing pinned that drop-off squarely on the schedule.

“We played three days ago against Al-Qadsiah, and we exerted a great deal of physical effort, and that certainly affected us,” he explained. “We faced a side that wore us down with long balls, and we were forced to exert a great effort. Every team has its own weapons, and in the end the result is the most important thing.”

The result keeps Al-Ittihad’s start on track, but Wissing was clear: this is not yet the finished product.

“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 demands I ask of the players are being carried out well, but they are not yet at the best possible level.”

The message is blunt. The standard is higher than the current form, even with the wins stacking up.

“The transfer window is also still open, and we are studying our options,” he added, leaving no doubt that the squad could still evolve before the real tests arrive.

Diaby left out: “Not mentally ready”

One of the biggest talking points came before kick-off. Moussa Diaby trained, but his name never appeared on the teamsheet. No late injury, no mystery knock. Wissing’s explanation cut through any speculation.

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

No grey area. No half measures.

“I want players who are ready, and 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.”

In a squad pushed through five games in two weeks and staring at more, mental readiness is being treated as non-negotiable. Diaby’s absence, then, becomes less about punishment and more about Wissing’s insistence that only fully committed players step onto the pitch during this brutal run.

En-Nesyri backed amid criticism

If Diaby’s omission raised eyebrows, Youssef En-Nesyri’s situation has stirred louder debate. The Moroccan striker has been under fire for a declining goalscoring return, but inside Al-Ittihad, his status is not in doubt.

Wissing defended him with conviction.

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

The criticism centres on the most basic metric for any striker: goals. Wissing is looking beyond that.

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

Work rate, pressing, movement, sacrifice for the team – these are the currencies Wissing is choosing to value publicly, even as the outside noise grows louder over missed chances and numbers that do not match expectation.

Strong start, sharper demands

Al-Ittihad’s record under Wissing in this early stretch is hard to argue with: five games, four wins, no losses. The table likes them. The coach, less so.

“We are certainly happy with our start, it is a good one for the season, but we still have a lot ahead of us,” he said, framing the opening weeks as a platform, not a destination.

The fixture list will not ease. The transfer window remains open. Key players are under scrutiny, some for form, others for their readiness to step into the fire.

Wissing’s stance is clear: he will ride with those who run, press and commit, even if the goals do not always follow. The question now is whether that trust, under this kind of schedule, can carry Al-Ittihad from a promising start into a season that truly matches their ambition.