French coach Laurent Blanc admitted that his team’s defeat against Al-Nassr in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup was normal given the start of the new season, emphasizing that Al-Ittihad did not deliver the required attacking performance.

Al-Ittihad lost 2-1 to Al-Nassr in Hong Kong, despite the latter playing with ten men since the 25th minute after Senegalese Sadio Mane was sent off, which raised many questions about the inability of the team to capitalize on their numerical advantage.

Blanc said in the press conference after the match: "We did not benefit from the red card, and we were not good enough. We conceded a goal at the beginning of the match, which is expected at the start of the season".

The French coach added that Al-Ittihad is missing some influential players like Kaddash and the starting goalkeeper, noting that the team desperately needed a greater attacking impulse during the match, which was not evident on the field.

Blanc angrily responded to the criticisms regarding his delay in substitutions, clarifying that the duo Bergwijn and Moussa Diaby are capable of making a difference at any moment, reminding that they scored a total of 47 goals together last season.

He concluded his remarks by saying: "This is just the beginning of the season, and things will gradually improve, so you need to calm down and not rush to judge the team."