Blanc's Statements After the Draw Against Al-Akhudood

Laurent Blanc, the coach of Al-Ittihad, expressed his dissatisfaction after his team drew today against Al-Akhudood with a score of 1-1 in a match within the 23rd round of the Saudi Professional League.

Blanc said in the press conference after the match: "I accept the statement that Al-Ittihad was not good today, but there are many matches we won in the last minutes. We are facing difficulties at this moment, and I recognize this, but those who know football understand that there are some tough moments."

He continued: "We are working on some details, but aside from the issue of the team's 'character', we are at the top in first place. It is natural for all teams to want to play strongly against us, and I agree that we need to show a strong character."

He added: "Any team, if we took away 3 players, would suffer, not just Al-Ittihad. We did not capitalize on the chances we had, and that is a big mistake."

When asked about not including Saleh Al-Shehri, he replied: "Should I play with a second striker while I am ahead in the score? We were leading, and he is a great player. We feel frustrated and disappointed."

He continued: "There are many injuries in our squad. We only have two center-backs, and today we suffered from Hassan Kadh's injury. I did not have enough players, and Muath Faqihi is the only defender on the bench."