The German coach led “the Tigers” to the Asian eliteJens Wissing, the German head coach of Al-Ittihad, has revealed the details of the meeting he held with the players following the thrashing of Al-Jazira in the AFC Champions League Elite.Al-Ittihad beat Al-Jazira 4-1 on Tuesday at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, in the preliminary round qualifying for the league stage of the AFC Champions League Elite.Once the final whistle blew, Wissing gathered all his players on the pitch and addressed a few words to them before heading into the dressing rooms.Explaining what he told them, Wissing said in comments at the press conference, reported by the “Asharq Al-Awsat” newspaper after the match: “I told the players that they had won in a wonderful way, that they deserved to qualify for the AFC Champions League Elite, that this is where they belong, and that they now needed to go back, rest and then prepare for the next match.”Saudi Roshn League match ticketsBuy your ticket now!Saudi Pro LeagueAl IttihadITT16 Aug 202602:00Al KholoodALKArabian Gulf LeagueHattaHAT16 Aug 202622:10Al-JaziraALJHe added: “I am very happy with the win, we deserve to qualify, we knew how difficult the match would be with this atmosphere, we respected the opponent and made sacrifices, I am happy with the whole group because of the sacrifices the players made.”The German coach declined, though, to discuss the new signings the club might complete during the current summer transfer window, or even the players who could leave, such as French winger Moussa Diaby.He explained: “The time is not right to talk about that (new deals), there are three weeks left, during which I will assess some matters, right now I am thinking about winning the next match on my home ground and in front of my fans, that is the most important thing.”Pressed on Diaby, he responded: “My full focus is only on the matches, and I do not listen to the media, Moussa Diaby is a wonderful player, but we are now thinking about the upcoming matches.”Al-Ittihad begin the new Roshn League season next Saturday, when they host Al-Khaleej at Al-Inma Stadium in the first round of the competition.
