Al-Ittihad manager Jens Vising said Richard Rios was used as a centre-back against Al-Diriyah because of the circumstances of the match, rather than a lack of faith in the club’s younger defenders.
Al-Ittihad beat Al-Diriyah 2-0 at Alinma Stadium in Jeddah on Friday to move on to 23 points and fourth place in the Roshn Saudi League table, keeping them within reach of the title race.
Rios, a Colombia international midfielder, moved into central defence for the second half after Saad Al-Mousa was replaced by Senegalese midfielder Dion Lopy at the interval.
Al-Mousa had only recently returned from a lengthy injury lay-off and was substituted after receiving a yellow card. Vising said he did not want to risk leaving him on the pitch.
“Saad Al-Mousa has just returned from a very long injury, and he played really well, but I had to replace him because of the yellow card. I did not want to take a risk with him,” Vising told reporters at his post-match news conference, in comments reported by Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
“Richard Rios playing as a centre-back was not because I do not trust the young players. It was a sensitive moment in the game and I had to find solutions. It does not mean I will always rely on him in that position.”
Vising was also asked whether Al-Ittihad had been exposed defensively because of the absence of injured defender Hassan Kadesh.
“Al-Diriyah did not threaten us at any moment in today’s match,” replied the German coach.
Several options in midfield
The manager was questioned about whether Mukhtar Ali could become a regular partner for Rios in midfield, ahead of Lopy.
“It is a difficult question. We make decisions according to the circumstances of each match,” he said.
Vising added that Al-Ittihad had a wide range of options for the number six role, naming Ali, Lopy, Rios, Mohammed Flatah and Ahmed Al-Ghamdi.
“We have several options in the number six position. Mukhtar Ali, Lopy, Richard Rios, Mohammed Flatah and even Ahmed Al-Ghamdi can play there because he is an intelligent player,” he said.
“Six players are capable of playing in that position. I cannot say that one partnership is better than another. We have variety, and they have played well before. I choose the best option for each match.”
Vising said he was pleased with both the result and the performance, particularly given the demands of the fixture schedule.
“I am happy with the performance, the result and the victory. It was a deserved win at home, in a match with particular demands because of the schedule and the short recovery time,” he said.
“After scoring the first goal, we managed some of our effort and kept a clean sheet. We had several chances, and if we had taken them, things would have been easier.”
