Jens Wessing changed Al-Ittihad’s shape to a 4-2-3-1 and made three changes to his starting line-up ahead of Monday evening’s clash with Al-Hazm. The move came with Youssef En-Nesyri still leading the line and George Ilenikhena left out of the eleven.
That adjustment matters because it came straight after Al-Ittihad’s 1-0 win over Al-Qadsiah in the previous round, when Wessing used a 4-4-2 and paired En-Nesyri with Ilenikhena up front. In that game, Rakan Kaabi was in midfield alongside Dion Lopy, while Houssem Aouar worked from the right side before Lopy was sent off.
Against Al-Hazm, Wessing’s structure was more compact. Houssem Aouar was again in midfield, this time alongside Mukhtar Ali, who had already started the opening game. Ahead of them, Marwan Al-Sahafi returned to the starting line-up and joined Ahmed Al-Ghamdi and Steven Bergwijn behind En-Nesyri, giving Al-Ittihad a front line built around one striker rather than two.
The defensive line also stayed settled around Carlo Simic, Hassan Kadesh, Danilo Pereira and Fares Abdi. The difference was not just the personnel but the shape around them: a 4-2-3-1 asks the wide attackers to come inside and the two midfielders to protect the back four, which is a cleaner fit for a single centre-forward than the earlier 4-4-2. In other words, Wessing traded one partner for another layer of support behind En-Nesyri.
The question left hanging is why Ilenikhena dropped out after starting with En-Nesyri in the previous round. The switch suggests Wessing wanted more control between midfield and attack for the third-round Roshn Saudi Pro League fixture, even if that meant abandoning the two-man forward line that had delivered the win over Al-Qadsiah.
For Al-Ittihad, the next answer was on the pitch Monday evening. If the new shape held, Wessing would have shown he was willing to change a winning system before it became predictable; if it did not, the selection call would have looked like a gamble made too soon.
