Al-Ittihad are not exactly cruising through the early weeks of the Saudi Roshn League, but they are doing something far more useful: winning while still looking like a side that knows it has more to give. That is the real story after Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over Al-Fayha at Al-Inma Stadium in Jeddah. It was not a free-flowing statement performance. It was another hard-earned result, following last Saturday’s 2-1 win over Al-Nassr, and it kept Al-Ittihad on 14 points after six league games, right in the thick of the table race.
That matters. Big teams are judged not only by the games they dominate, but by the awkward ones they still manage to drag into the win column. Jens Wissing made that point clearly enough after the match. This was, in his words, not an easy encounter coming so soon after the difficult clash with Al-Nassr. The effort from that game, he said, had clearly affected his side.
Winning without pretending everything is perfect
That honesty is refreshing, because Al-Ittihad did not look like a team running on full fuel against Al-Fayha. Wissing admitted they struggled in the first half to turn chances into goals. He did not dress those opportunities up as clear-cut chances, but he did describe them as good ones. The point was simple: the finishing was not sharp enough early on.
Then came the more encouraging part. In the second half, Al-Ittihad were more dangerous and improved in several respects. That is the kind of shift managers love to talk about after a tight win, because it suggests the team could still find a higher gear when required. Wissing was blunt about the most important detail, though: the full points.
And really, that is where Al-Ittihad deserve credit. A side can have heavy legs, miss its rhythm, and still come away with the result. That is not glamorous. It is not the sort of performance that gets carried around as a masterpiece. But in an early-season table where margins are already tight, it is the sort of work that keeps a title challenge alive.
Wijnaldum adds another layer
The other notable thread was Georginio Wijnaldum’s arrival after leaving Al-Ettifaq. Wissing was openly positive about the signing, calling him an important addition, an intelligent player who understands different situations and a hungry one too. He went further than standard managerial praise, describing him as a wonderful player, a wonderful personality and a leader. That is not accidental language. It signals exactly what Al-Ittihad believe they have brought in: not just experience, but authority.
It also fits the broader shape of what Wissing is trying to build. He said this is his team and that he believes in all the players, stressing that his assessment is based on studying every option. With a difficult schedule ahead, he wants players who can operate in more than one role, whether on the flank or between the lines. That flexibility is not a luxury in this run of fixtures. It is survival.
He also pointed to fitness as a major limitation, saying the squad’s current level does not allow them to play at high tempo every three days. That is the kind of line that tells you exactly where Al-Ittihad are at the moment: still developing, still managing, still trying to make sure the load does not overwhelm the football.
So, yes, Al-Ittihad beat Al-Fayha 2-1. But the bigger point is that they did it while showing the strain of the week before, while improving after the break, and while keeping themselves one point behind the pace-setters in the early Saudi Roshn League picture. That is a decent place to be if you are building momentum. It is a better place to be if Wijnaldum becomes the kind of addition Wissing clearly thinks he is.
