Jens Wissing has rejected calls for a quick solution at Al-Ittihad after their 4-1 defeat by Al Ain in the fourth round of the AFC Champions League Elite.
The German coach said his side remained a work in progress and that reaching the level demanded by supporters would require sustained effort rather than an instant transformation.
“I am very happy with the players in my squad and I will defend them until the very end,” Wissing said after the match. “This is the same team that started pre-season with us. But what has happened since then? We have developed. We are not machines who can change at the press of a button.”
Wissing said difficult periods were unavoidable during the process of building a team, while accepting that results ultimately shaped perceptions of a manager’s work.
“It is normal to have difficult days, but we work day by day and week by week to improve,” he said. “The fans deserve better and the club deserves that. There is a lot of work ahead. Unfortunately, results alone judge coaches, and sometimes results are unfair.”
He also urged people not to assess Al-Ittihad solely on the basis of their performance against Al Ain, pointing to their previous comebacks and the spirit they had shown in earlier matches.
“It was a difficult night and a drop in performance can happen,” Wissing said. “How many times have we been behind and come back? The most recent was against Neftchi. How many times have the players shown the spirit of the tiger? I would be unfair to judge the team only on what it did today.”
The coach said Al-Ittihad needed to improve mentally and physically if they were to compete with the strongest teams, adding that their positive start to the season had not disguised the mistakes being identified within the squad.
“If we want to compete, we have to be better,” he said. “Pre-season was good and the early results were good too, but some people did not want to see the mistakes when we were winning. We were aware of them and working to correct them. What is happening now is part of development, but it is not an excuse. I do not make excuses.”
Wissing highlighted the contrasting preparation periods before the match, with Al Ain having a full week to prepare while Al-Ittihad had only three days amid a congested schedule. He said the club had played 18 matches since his arrival and needed to manage workload and recovery more effectively.
“Al Ain had a week to prepare, while we had only three days,” he said. “Small mistakes affect the team, and we must focus on recovery. There is still a lot of work to do.”
Although he defended his players, Wissing accepted full responsibility for the result and dismissed the suggestion that the defeat was caused by a tactical fault.
“As a coach, I take 100% responsibility,” he said. “Whenever things do not go well, I take responsibility. But when a team starts a match correctly, you cannot say the tactics were wrong. Today was not about tactics. It was an AFC Champions League night against a strong, experienced team, and we must be ready for every detail.”
Wissing admitted Al-Ittihad were not yet the team they wanted to become and said restoring their position would take time.
“We are not yet the Al-Ittihad we want to be, and we cannot change at the press of a button,” he said. “We are still at the beginning of the journey and must work to return as quickly as possible.”
He was particularly disappointed by the manner of the goals conceded, saying fatigue had prevented his players from matching Al Ain physically.
“We started both halves well but could not turn our advantage into goals,” he said. “The second goal was silly and we conceded badly. After scoring, we gained confidence, but then conceded another poor goal. We were not at our best mentally, physically or technically.
“Fatigue affected us and we could not match the opponent physically. This is a painful truth. We must raise our heads and face it.”
