Vitinho praises Al Shehri impact in reviving Al Ettifaq | OneFootball

Saad Al Shehri’s influence on Al Ettifaq has been undeniable.

It’s been pronounced, and in the positive, too. Just ask Vitinho, the club’s Brazilian forward.

“We have a different motivation compared to the beginning of the season, where our results were not so good,” he tells the SPL following Saturday’s hard-fought draw in the Eastern Derby with Al Qadsiah.

Vitinho’s right; following last season’s sixth-placed finish in the Roshn Saudi League, results had not lived up to what Al Ettifaq expected.

When Steven Gerrard departed as manager at the end of January, soon after the draw at Al Wehda, the Dammam side sat 12th. They had won five of 17 league matches.

However, in came Al Shehri, and the turnaround began. The Saudi Arabian made an immediate impact: in his first match back at the club, in Matchweek 18, he led his new team to a 3-1 victory against top-four chasing Al Shabab.

Including that result, from Al Shehri's nine RSL matches in charge, there’s been five wins and only two defeats. Before the Eastern Derby, in fact, Al Ettifaq had climbed to seventh (even if, after Matchweek 26 completed, they had slipped a place).

Undoubtedly, the change of manager has spurred a change of fortune.

“Since the coach changed, it's like we started from scratch,” Vitinho says. “Everyone is fighting for his position; everyone wants to show his best because it's a new era.

“Every player wants to show his talent and wants to show to the coach that they want to play. It made us level up and we managed good results since the new coach took over.”

Vitinho’s remodelling against Al Qadsiah as more of a midfielder than an out-and-out forward emphasises the endeavour to do right by Al Shehri. As he explains, the collective takes precedence.

“I started the game pressing the opponent - that was the plan - but we didn't manage to control the ball in the first half,” says Vitinho, who set up captain Georginio Wijnaldum’s equaliser to seal a share of the spoils.

“So, we had to change our strategy, and I played more in the midfield to support the team. We managed to attack more, to control the ball a little bit more.

“I am here to help the team. The coach wanted me to play this way. I have my own preferences, but the most important is the group. It was a bad result in the first half [Al Ettifaq were 1-0 down], but we managed to get a draw that is important for us.

“The most important was to avoid a loss, especially in a derby like this.”