Al-Ittihad’s technical team, led by Cosmin Kontra, reassured all its players, especially those who have recently been absent from matches and training, after the end of the Abha friendly match held yesterday, Sunday, and ended in a 1-1 draw .
Regardless of the outcome of the team’s experience against Abha, the technical staff gained several benefits from this match, represented by the return of all foreign professionals, and they confirmed their readiness some time before the fixed match, which will take place on June 23. after the new league expansion.
These stars represent a great strength for a team that has suffered from the absence of some of them or the complete unavailability of others.
The technical staff has identified a weak spot that the team has been suffering from lately, namely physical fitness, and the technical staff will take advantage of this period to bring the players to the highest level of fitness.
The Abha match saw the return of Muhannad Al-Shankiti, who participated for much of the first half, to convince him of his ability to compete under the terms of the deal after a muscle injury prevented him from representing the Olympic team. the participation of promising names in two friendlies is important for the coach to know the needs of the team in the next season. The names that participated and attracted the attention of the coach Abdulela Al Shehri, Hussein Al Asmari and Al Mutasim Siddiq.
Among the mistakes that Kuzmin hoped to correct were that the team was easy to score goals and a big weakness in the depth of defense, which resulted in 8 goals scored in three matches, which is a negative number for a team contending for the championship. title. Kuzmin seems to be fully convinced of offensive solutions, but there is a big disadvantage in finding a suitable alternative in the absence of the main names, which he works on during friendly matches.
Perhaps the delay that accompanied the Olympic team’s progress to the semi-finals of the AFC Under-23 Cup raised concerns about the negative consequences of the players’ long stay away from the atmosphere of official matches.
The technical and administrative staff must work together to avoid the mistakes that accompanied the players’ holiday during the blessed Eid al-Adha, and another friendly match must be sought to keep the delicacy of the matches between the players.