Managers and players regularly clash in the sport of soccer, but sometimes it goes too far to the point where one of them has to leave. A recent example is Jadon Sancho being banished from the Manchester United squad after clashing with manager Erik ten Hag.
And now a similar incident has happened with Al Ittihad star Karim Benzema and manager Nuno Espirito Santo. It seems all was not well at the Saudi Pro League club between the two former European personalities.
Al Ittihad sacks Nuno Espirito Santo
After a recent bad streak of performances on the pitch, Al Ittihad have fired manager Nuno Espirito Santo. The former Tottenham manager lost back-to-back matches, and the team is 6th in the league standings. This is despite them being strongly reinforced in the summer transfer window and winning the league title last season.
And now the club has sacked the Portuguese coach after many calls for it by the fans. But it seems there is more to the story. The coach was long rumored to have troubles in the dressing room.
Reports suggest that star player Karim Benzema had a heated clash with the manager after they lost the AFC Champions League match on Tuesday. Apparently, they argued in the dressing room at halftime.
Apparently, their conversation went as follows: the manager said, pointing to Benzema, “You are a great player, but it seems that you are being lazy in putting pressure on the opponent.” The Frenchman took offense to this and replied that he needed to look at the whole squad instead of him. But Nuno again said, “You are the team leader, the player’s role model, and the most important player in it. You must take the initiative.”
It seems that Benzema played a major role in the decision and the club is now trying to find a new coach, one that is French and to the liking of French stars Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante.
Karim Benzema’s bad form leads to AFC Champions League defeat
The latest loss in the AFC Champions League was the final catalyst for the manager. But Karim Benzema himself is also amiss in front of the goal. The club lost 2-0 to Al Quwa Al Jawiya and while the team itself was not great, Benzema was nowhere close to his Ballon d’or winning performances. It was his official debut in the competition as well.
He last scored on October 31 in the King Cup of Champions. So far, the captain has 5 goals in 10 league games. In comparison, his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo leads the goal tally with seven more goals.
While at the age of 35, it is understandable that he will decline, it seems he has to step up if the club wants to improve. He has a chance to turn things around when they face Abha in the league on Saturday.
