Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad have ruthlessly sacked manager Laurent Blanc just four games into the new campaign.
Blanc had led the Jeddah club to an SPL title and King's Cup double but Ittihad started the new season by being knocked out of the Saudi Super Cup in the semi-final by Al Nassr.
They also lost their Asian Champions League Elite opener when they fell to a surprise 2-1 defeat away to UAE side Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi.
And on Friday, Ittihad were again beaten by their Riyadh rivals with Sadio Mane and Cristiano Ronaldo providing the goals in a 2-0 victory at the King Abdullah Sports City.
The victory maintained table-topping Nassr's perfect start with four wins from four leaving them two points clear of second-place Al Qadsiah with Ittihad third a point further point back.
“This is our first loss in a long time,” said French coach Blanc when asked about his position after the match. “We have achieved 17 wins and one draw in our last 18 home matches. So, I am surprised by this question, and we must review the results.”
He added: “I’m having defensive problems that I’ve discussed before. I don’t have many solutions, as they depend on the available players. Currently, I only have Ahmed Sharahili and Yassin [Al Jaber].
“Injuries are part of football, but the pressure of matches [every three days] has made the situation more difficult, and most of the injuries have been in the back line.”
But early on Sunday, the club announced on their social media channels that Blanc would be leaving, despite Ittihad having won their opening three SPL matches before Friday's loss – including a 5-2 thrashing of Al Okhdood in their opener that saw Karim Benzema grab a hat-trick.
“Al Ittihad announces the termination of its contractual relationship with the first team's head coach Mr Laurent Blanc and his coaching staff,” the club said.
“The club’s board of directors extends its sincere thanks and appreciation for their efforts during the past period and wishes them success in their future endeavours.”
The club added that they have placed Hassan Al Khalifa in temporary charge until they finalise an agreement with a “new technical staff that matches the club’s ambitions”.
It brought to an end Blanc's reign with an SPL record that reads 29 wins, five draws and four losses from 38 matches in charge.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and France national team coach took over last July guiding Ittihad to the title with three games to spare, ending the campaign eight points ahead of second-placed Al Hilal and was voted the SPL Manager of the Year.
At the end of May, the double was completed when Al Qadsiah were brushed aside 3-1 in the King's Cup final at a packed Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, with captain Benzema scoring twice.
“Seasons like this one, I’d love to experience again,” Blanc told SPL.com before the cup final. “I really would. You never know if you’ll get to live something like this again. But this one, this one needs to be appreciated for what it truly is.”
The 59-year-old also expressed his appreciation for Ittihad supporters in the interview. “As I told the Al Ittihad fans – and I see some of them around town – I told them, that this year, they were the best too,” Blanc said. “They really were the best. The team was the best in the league, of course, but the fans were the best in the stands.
“They made it feel almost like playing at home for nearly every match. And even in the [Al Raed] match, when we celebrated the title, it felt almost like playing at home. So, congratulations to them.”
Next up for Ittihad will be Matchday 2 in the Champions League which sees them take on another UAE Pro League side in Shabab AlAhli at home before the next international break kicks in. Ittihad's next SPL game is away to Al Feiha on October 17.
