Squad depth gives Ahly edge over Zamalek

Ahly blossomed when it mattered most to sail to the verge of winning the Egyptian Premier League, thanks to their experienced squad

Ahly gained the upper hand over arch-rivals Zamalek at a crucial stage of the Egyptian Premier League season after making the most of an abundance of talents at their disposal.
The Red Devils looked unlikely to secure a seventh consecutive title a few weeks ago after falling six points behind the success-starved Zamalek, who were acclaimed for being a fresh side full of young and vital players who carried the burden of ending the team's seven-year league drought.
But, probably, it turned out to be an overburden for Zamalek's youngsters.
They began to falter in the second half of the season as coach Hossam Hassan, who has turned around their fortunes since taking charge of the club in late 2009, struggled to make up for the suspension or injury of several players.
In a squad featuring just two high-profile players, winger Mahmoud Abdel-Razek "Shikabala" and injury-prone striker Amr Zaki, it was difficult for Zamalek to carry on from where they left off before January's revolution, when they enjoyed a six-point advantage over Ahly at the top.
Zamalek surrendered their lead twice to share honours with Ahly in Wednesday's 2-2 Cairo derby draw, leaving their traditional foes, who are now five points clear at the top, with the simple task of gaining four points from their last three games to ensure maintaining their domestic supremacy.
“I'm proud of the display of my team, given the limited resources we have,” said Hassan, who was a prolific striker when Zamalek won the last of their 11 league titles in 2004, after the bad-tempered clash.
“My players are young, they lack the sufficient experience to deal with pressure. We also have very limited financial resources.”
Zamalek, who are suffering from persistent financial problems and administrative instability, signed the likes of Ivorian striker Abou Kone, defender Mohamed Younes, Masry midfielders Ashour El-Adham and Wagih Abdel-Azim last summer, none of whom managed to prove their worth.
Ahly's healthy squad
Ahly, on the other hand, were branded by local media "an ageing team" earlier in the season when they stumbled under coach Hossam El-Badry, with some pundits going as far as calling on veteran attacking midfielders Mohamed Abou-Treika and Mohamed Barakat and combative defender Wael Gomaa, all in their 30s, to hang up their boots.
But the arrival of Portuguese coach Manuel Jose, who returned to Ahly in January to lead them for a third spell, helped those players rediscover their form and play a key role in a swift revival.
“They are not performing at the same high level of the past years, and this is natural. But they will still have a big role to play during the remainder of the season,” Jose said of his popular stars, few days after taking over at Egypt's most successful club.
Abou-Treika was sidelined for long spells due to injury but the evergreen Barakat produced some scintillating displays and scored crucial goals, including the opener in Ahly's 2-1 home win over third-placed Ismaily, while Gomaa kept opposing strikers at bay with sturdy performances.
Ahly's healthy squad, which was strengthened last summer following the arrival of Egypt forward Mohamed Nagy "Gedo" and the return of midfield duo Hossam Ghaly and Mohamed Shawky, also gave Jose plenty of options to solve an attacking crisis after the injury of Emad Meteb.
Mauritania's Dominique Da Silva, who joined Ahly in January, and Gedo successfully shouldered the responsibility of finding the net to help the team overcome stiff tests prior to Meteb's recovery.
Gedo brought Ahly level after Zamalek took an early lead in Wednesday's derby while Dominique, who was introduced as a second-half substitute, notched the decisive equaliser with seven minutes remaining.
Veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan and Algerian playmaker Amir Sayoud also made major contributions every time they came off the bench while Zamalek manager Hassan had to field 18-year-old forward Hassan Youssef and fellow youngsters Ahmed Tawfik and Ahmed Qattawy on a number of occasionsdue to lack of reliable substitutes.
“With three matches remaining, I think the matter is settled now. It is very difficult for Ahly to lose the title now,” assistant coach Pedro, who speaks to the media on behalf of Jose, said following the Cairo derby.
“I want to congratulate our loyal supporters who always stand behind their team. I also wish to congratulate all the players, including those who did not play tonight.”