Al-Ittihad coach after the slap from Al-Ain: we are not machines to switch at the push of a button!

Al-Ittihad's coach reflected on a painful night against Al-Ain, insisting that one off performance cannot wipe out everything his players had shown in previous games. "It was a difficult night, and a dip in level can happen. How many times have we been behind and come back in the result? The latest was the match against Neftçi. And how many times have the players shown the spirit of the tiger? I would be unjust to the team if I judged it based only on what it delivered today," he said.

There's a long road ahead in the competition, Vesić stressed, and his side must sharpen several areas, particularly the mental and physical sides, if they want to go toe to toe with strong opponents. A bright start to the season, he pointed out, never meant the team was flawless.

"If we want to compete, we have to be better. The preparation phase was good, and the results at the start were good too, but some people did not want to see the mistakes when we were winning, even though we were spotting them and working to correct them. What is happening now is part of the development phase, and this is not an excuse, because I do not make excuses," he explained.

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The German coach highlighted the gulf in preparation time between the two sides. Al-Ain had a full week to get ready. Al-Ittihad had just three days, with fixtures piling up and the physical toll mounting.

Vissing said: "Al-Ain had a week to prepare, while we had only three days. Since my arrival, I have seen development in the team, and we have played 18 matches, so managing loads and effort has become extremely important. Small mistakes affect the team, and we must focus on recovery and recuperation, as we still have a great deal of work ahead of us."

His team, he added, must keep working to match their rivals physically and mentally. The development is far from finished. Al-Ittihad, he stressed, are only at the start of the journey towards the level they are chasing.

Vesing defended his players but insisted he carries full responsibility for the results, even as he refused to accept the defeat to Al Ain as proof of a tactical flaw. He said: "As a coach, I take 100% of the responsibility. In every match that doesn't go well, I take responsibility, and I don't need to repeat that every time."

"When the team starts the match correctly, you can't say the tactics were wrong," he added. "What happened today was not because of the tactics, but it was a night in the AFC Champions League, and we were facing a strong team with great experience in the tournament. We have to be present in all the details and know how to deal with these circumstances."

Restoring Al-Ittihad to their former standing will take time, Vesing stressed. He explained: "To be realistic, we are not the Al-Ittihad we want to be, and we can't transform at the push of a button. We have to develop and work, as last season is not far away, and there were things that were not good. We are trying to develop everything, and we are still at the start of the journey, and we must work in order to return as quickly as possible."

Vissing was frustrated. His side knew they were up against an opponent with continental pedigree and plenty of quality, yet they made bright starts to both halves and had nothing to show for it.

He said: "We feel great frustration after the defeat. We knew how difficult it would be to face a team with experience that has achieved big results, and we prepared for the match, but I think we started both the first and second halves well, and we could not translate our advantage into goals."

The coach also took aim at the manner of some of the goals his team gave away. "The second goal was silly and we conceded it badly, and after we scored our goal, we gained confidence, but we conceded another goal in a silly way. We faced a clever team with good potential, and we were not at our best mentally, physically or technically," he added.

Tiredness told in the end, as Vissing admitted when wrapping up. "Fatigue affected us, and we could not keep up with the opponent physically. I spoke to the players and told them that if we want to compete we must be better. This is a painful truth, and we must raise our heads and face it."