Ahly's Spanish coach Juan Carlos Garrido has said he needs more time to learn about the team after Tuesday's elimination from the Egypt Cup. Alexandria-based club Smouha edged closer to winning their first ever trophy after outplaying Ahly to secure a deserved 2-1 win in Cairo and reach the final of Egypt's oldest football competition. Just two days after his appointment, Garrido had a winning debut with the Egyptian league champions after beating Ragaa in the cup quarter-final on Thursday. Against Smouha, he was not lucky enough to clinch his first title with the Cairo giants. "We played to win the title but we had a lot of missed chances besides some defensive faults that contributed to the loss," Garrido said after the match. "I know that Ahly fans are sad but I have worked with the team for only five days while experiencing new 39 players. That was very difficult and confusing for me. "I still need one month to know my team well and determine the positive and negative points. "Also, there will be a meeting with the club management to settle on the final list of players and that will help me a lot to concentrate on my work," the former Villarreal, Real Betis and Club Brugge coach added. Garrido took over from caretaker manager Fathi Mabrouk, under whom the club won their 37th league title despite some stuttering displays. (For more sports newsandupdates,followAhramOnlineSportson Twitter at@AO_Sportsand onFacebook atAhramOnlineSports.) http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/106369.aspx
