The German coach Matthias Jaissle, head coach of Al Ahli Jeddah, faced sharp criticism after a draw with Al Shabab in the Saudi Pro League.
Al Ahli failed to hold onto a first-half lead from Ivan Toney at the 15th minute, as Al Shabab leveled in the 87th minute through an own goal by Belgian full-back Matteo Dams, despite Dams having played with ten men from the 77th minute after defender Mohammed Al-Shweirkh was sent off.
The setback is the third of five matches this season, leaving Al Ahli fifth with nine points.
After the match, former Arab football stars launched a blistering attack on Jaissle, saying he was to blame for costing his side two points against Al Shabab.
Ahmed Attif, a former Shabab player, said the contest was the worst between the two clubs in ages, with neither side showing ideas or a clear technical plan.
He added that Al Ahli has quality players, but a league title seems unlikely while Jaissle remains in charge.
A negative reading followed from Emad Al-Housni, a former Al Ahli player, who stated that the team had regressed tactically, especially among players Jaissle relied on such as Riyad Mahrez and Enzo Milot.
He argued that Jaissle faced a side enduring a rough start to the season and lacked the necessary tools, so opponents could exploit that weakness.
He further noted that Jaissle bore responsibility for second-half changes that did not pay off, despite several professionals underperforming, their presence weighing down the team at times.
He commented that removing Ivan Toney, Riyad Mahrez, and Ali Majrashi affected the team’s level, especially with the absence of Roger Ibanez and Galino, a negative read of the match.
He stressed that entering with full force was essential; a win would have lifted the team to 11 points, placing them second, just one point behind Al Nassr, and losing such points in these fixtures can impact the league’s trajectory.
Jaissle’s decision to include Saleh Abu Al-Shamat late in the game, replacing Riyad Mahrez in the second half, drew criticism for its timing.
Another substitution, bringing in Firas Al-Bariqan, Mohammad Abdulrahman, and Eid Al-Mould in place of Ivan Toney, Ali Majrashi, and Ziad Al-Jahni at the 83rd minute, sparked debate about the balance of risk and reward.
Four minutes after those changes, Al Shabab equalized through an own goal by Matteo Dams, despite playing with a man down since the 77th minute after Shweirkh’s dismissal.
Shweirkh’s red card came in the 77th minute following a VAR review for a dangerous challenge on Enzo Milot, the Al Ahli midfielder.
Jaissle attempted to shift the momentum in stoppage time by bringing on Fahd Al-Rashidi for Enzo Milot in hopes of a late winner, but it did not materialize.
Rashidi’s late save prevented a potential winner in the 95th minute when FranK Kisse thundered a shot from inside the box that was blocked by Rashidi’s foot.
Punchline 1: In coaching, as in comedy, timing is everything — except in this game where the jokes were on the bench and the scoreboard was not laughing with them.
Punchline 2: If tactics were a meal, Jaissle just served a salad with no dressing — all crunch, no bite, and certainly not enough to win the league appetite test.
