Nuno Espirito has been relieved of his managerial duties at Al-Ittihad following a number of bad results. It’s also understood he had a number of disagreements with A-list striker Karim Benzema.
What happened between the two?
After an embarrassing 2-0 loss to Iraqi side Al Quwa Al Jawiya, Benzema reportedly fired insults at Espirito and his coaching style. Words were exchanged between the pair which has played a factor in the sacking of Espirito.
In a statement on X (Twitter), Al-Ittihad said: “The club has announced the end of its contract with Portuguese coach Nuno Santo.
“This decision comes after a comprehensive technical evaluation of the past phase during which he was in charge of coaching the first football team.”
Al-Ittihad are now looking to bring in a French coach to appease their star player. Laurent Blanc amongst many managers that are being considered. Benzema and Blanc had a great relationship when Blanc managed the French national team from 2010-2012. Zinedine Zidane is also apart of the conversation.
Benzema has bagged five goals for Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League so far this season. Unbelievably, he has even scored an own goal. In a game against Al Taawoun, Benzema opened the scoring for the current champions but minutes after he had levelled things up after accidentally headed in a Al Taawoun corner into his own net.
Where are Al-Ittihad in the table?
After 12 games, in the new Saudi Pro League season, champions Al-Ittihad sit in sixth place, 11 points off the top. Espirito took over in July ahead of the new season and his effort have been nothing short of disappointing.
Al-Ittihad’s next game is against 13th place Abha on Friday evening. They’ll be entering that one without a manager. The Saudi Pro League will then pause for the international break which should give the Saudi Arabian club some time to find a replacement coach.
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