Al-Ittihad manager Jens Wissing says his side must learn from their opening Saudi Pro League draw with Al-Kholood after Danilo Pereira was sent off in the second half.
Al-Ittihad were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Kholood at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah on Saturday, with the result leaving Wissing’s team without a win in their first league match of the season.
The Portuguese defender was shown a red card in the 58th minute after the referee reviewed an incident on the video assistant referee monitor and decided Pereira had kicked an Al-Kholood player while the ball was not in play.
Wissing said Al-Ittihad had been targeting victory in their first home fixture but were unable to make the most of the opportunities they created.
“We wanted to win our first match at home, and the game was close,” Wissing said at his post-match news conference, according to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
“We had our moments, but unfortunately we did not take advantage of them to settle the match. After the red card, the task became more difficult. We are still at the beginning of the journey, and we want to take the positives and correct the negatives.”
The dismissal forced Al-Ittihad to play the final stages with 10 men and influenced Wissing’s approach to his substitutions.
The German coach said he had spent five weeks working with the players and believed the changes he made were designed to respond to the circumstances of the match rather than reflect any individual issue.
“I have had five weeks with the players, and I know their abilities. We had a red card, and all the substitutions were carefully considered. The aim was to increase the energy, and every substitution was made because of something that happened during the match,” he said.
Wissing’s immediate focus is now on recovering the squad before Al-Ittihad’s next fixture, which comes against Al-Najma in the last 32 of the King’s Cup on Tuesday.
The manager said the short turnaround left his players with only three days to prepare, making recovery and planning especially important.
“Our focus now is on the next match in order to win. We have three days before facing Al-Najma, and we want to recover well and prepare for the match,” Wissing added.
The draw was Al-Ittihad’s first result of their Saudi Pro League campaign, while their next competitive assignment will take them into the King’s Cup before their league schedule continues.