Coach of Al-Ittihad team, Sergio Conceição, appeared in a press conference after the loss against Al-Hilal with a score of 2-0 in the sixth round of the Saudi league at the Al-Inma Stadium.

The coach said: "We controlled the match for the first 60 minutes, but after the second goal, we were affected. We worked on set pieces because we know Al-Hilal's strength in that regard."

Regarding the involvement of 25 players in 3 matches, he responded: "The reason is that I trust all the players. Whoever performs better in training will play. I don't care if the player is white or black, local or foreign, this principle is clear. After the 60th minute, the players did not perform well, and that is what I did not like. Any decision I make, I am responsible for it, and I bear it in all my experiences. A name is not enough; we must fight. We are the holders of the league and cup titles, but that is not enough. Work in every training session is what will bring the team back to compete."

He continued: "When I came here, I knew that the fitness aspect is important, and I do not accept the team's spirit to decline for any reason. The desire and what I must see is the desire and work."

Regarding relying on Hamid Al-Shanqeeti: "It is not Hamid's responsibility. What happened is entirely my responsibility because I am the one who makes the decision, and the decision was more tactical. I trust Hamid a lot, and in training and the youth national team, he is one of the best players. He has earned my trust. As for the tactical aspect, the strategy was clear, and you saw that Neves and Savic could not touch many balls, and I was keen to involve more foreign players in the midfield for that reason."

On why he did not shake hands with Inzaghi after the match: "The question should be directed to Inzaghi, because we are the hosts. I do not hold a grudge against him, and perhaps it is because the results of the last encounters were in my favor. We will meet more than once in the future, and this is normal. Today he left his home happy, and several times before, I left happy."

He concluded: "We lost the final touch in many attacks, we lost seriousness at some moments of the match, and the match against Al-Hilal cannot be compared to the one against Al-Shorta. Today, we controlled many moments at the defensive and midfield levels, but the final third depends on the players. Our job is to deliver the ball to the attacking third, and if the second goal had not come, everything would have changed."