A former Al-Ittihad Jeddah star has dismissed calls for the sacking of Portuguese manager Sérgio Conceição, despite the club’s recent poor results.
Al-Ittihad have now lost nine times in the Roshen League this term, their most recent setback a 4-3 defeat to Neom on Wednesday at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium, a fixture originally scheduled for the 29th round.
The loss came days before the “Tigers’” AFC Champions League play-off campaign, which kicks off next Tuesday against Al-Wahda of the UAE in the round of 16.
Former Al-Ittihad star Manaf Abu Shukair told the programme “Dorina Ghair” that dismissing the Portuguese coach would be counterproductive at this late stage.
Read also: Surprising move... Dismissal sparks Consesao’s anger
“Al-Ittihad has no flavour, no character, nothing under Conceição,” he said. “The team lacks personality, and he is weak across the board: defensive errors, poor positioning, and questionable starting line-ups.”
He added: “We used to criticise Laurent Blanc, but he was far better than Conceição, as he gave the players freedom, unlike the latter, who makes mistakes in many matches and leaves no mark.”
“On technical merit alone this squad is not good enough to win the AFC Champions League; it feels finished. Still, the club’s heritage, support and standing might carry it through.”
He added that keeping Consueçao is damaging, yet sacking him now is not practical, underlining that the current state of affairs is unsatisfactory.
He concluded: “The ball is now in the players’ court; they must put this manager behind them, along with any issues between them, if there are any, as Al-Ittihad are heading into a decisive tournament that could wipe the slate clean of everything that has happened this season.”