his speech in the Al Ittihad locker room, with a translator, prayer and “winning mentality”

Marcelo Gallardo begins to leave its mark on Al IttihadThe team of Saudi Arabia which he chose to continue his career almost a year after his last professional job, his successful cycle at the helm of River Plate. The DT started on the right foot and this Monday secured his classification as first in his group in the Champions League Asian.

The team, the oldest in the country of petrodollars, defeated the Sepahan of Iran, by 2 to 1, and made it to the round of 16 of the most important competition on the eastern continent. The Saudi striker Saleh Al Amri (PT 14m), with a free kick, gave the Argentine coach’s team the advantage, which could not count on the French scorer Karim Benzema due to injury.

The Iranian Ramin Rezaeian (ST 3m) scored the partial tie and the Portuguese Jota (ST 24m) scored the 2-1 for Al-Ittihad at the King Abdul Aziz Stadium in Mecca. With its second consecutive victory in the competition, Al-Ittihad reached 15 points and finished as leader of its zone, followed by Sepahan (10).

The club founded in 1927 and which is currently managed by a “public investment fund” directed by the fearsome crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, is delighted by the arrival of the coach, who reached his fourth game undefeated, with three wins and a draw. .

The day after the victory against the Iranians, a video was shared from Al Ittihad’s social networks with the Argentine coach’s previous talk. There you can see the Muñeco in its purest form, as if he were in the Monumental locker room but 12 thousand kilometers away, speaking to his players and trying to touch their pride.

“Gentlemen, winning mentality,” repeats a composed and fervent Gallardo, after highlighting the return of one of his players after six months due to an injury. And he adds, motivating: “We want to be first in the group, it is not going to be an easy game. We grow, we grow as a team.”

After a few moments dedicated to prayer, with the players and the coaching staff crowded together, Al Ittihad went out onto the field and ended up fulfilling the request of the coach, who after the game celebrated with a group photo like in his time with the Millionaire of Núñez.

Gallardo, the winningest coach in the history of River Plate, must visit Damac in the Saudi league this Thursday, for the 16th round of a tournament that has him in fourth place, 13 points behind leader Al Hilal.

After that match, the coach will have to change the chip of his players to compete in the Club World Cup, a competition to which he entered as a guest, as host, and because his team is the current champion of the local competition.

In a previous stage they must play against Auckland City of Oceania, and then, if they overcome that phase, they would clash in the quarterfinals against Al Ahly of Egypt. On that side of the table, Fluminense awaits in the semifinals, and in the final (if logic holds true) Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City awaits. How far will the Doll go?