Jose didn't dissappoint: Ahly wraps up the title

Manuel Jose, already a cult figure among Ahly's faithful, produces another masterclass in coaching as the Cairo giants win a seventh consecutive league title

Few people expected Ahly would pull off such an upset and win the Egyptian Premier League title when coach Manuel Jose arrived in January to take over the club for a third stint.
The Portuguese tactician, who left Ahly in the summer of 2009, despite pleas from fans to carry on after steering the team to unprecedented success on the domestic and continental levels, was burdened with rescuing a faltering side who looked highly unlikely to overtake arch-rivals Zamalek just a few months ago.
Branded by local media as “an ageing team” who were no longer able to match the pace of Zamalek's fresh youngsters, a jaded-looking Ahly side seemed way past their best amid widespread calls for wholesale changes.
Jose did not agree Ahly needed a total rebuilding process. He believed the Red Devils still boasted the sufficient tools to maintain their domestic supremacy.
“My players are not ageing. I'm looking to bridge the gap with Zamalek; there are still several months left before the end of the season and we can achieve that aim,” he said few days after taking charge of Ahly, when they were six points behind their success-starved Cairo foes.
“Zamalek are doing their best to bring back the glory days, but they have yet to win anything,” added Jose, sitting cross-legged during a television interview, seeming as confident as ever.
Immediate impact
Although Ahly had a slow start under Jose following a 1-1 draw with Maqassa, his return gave the players a clear morale boost.
Classy playmaker Mohamed Abou-Treika used to be glum under Jose's predecessor Hossam El-Badry but when he scored the opener against Maqassa, he rushed to the touchline to hug his mentor with a big smile on his face.
“Jose's return gave me a new lease on life. I now feel much better and I promise the fans I will do my best to rediscover my form,” said Abou-Treika, whom Jose brought to Ahly in 2004.
The 65-year-old's work began to pay off soon after, with the team gradually regaining top form with a series of convincing displays and results, including some spirited comebacks and late victories.
He outwitted opposing managers with smart tactical moves that improved Ahly's all-around performances, leaving skeptics struggling to pinpoint the weak aspects of the team's game.
Shifting back to a traditional 3-5-2 formation, which was hugely successful during his previous two stints at the helm, Jose made the most of wing-backs Sayed Moawad and Ahmed Fathi.
Moawad and Fathi rarely surged forward on the left and right flanks respectively in the first half of the season, but Jose was determined to take advantage of their attacking abilities.
Their forays saw Fathi, who also became a new free-kick specialist, score four goals and whip in numerous effective crosses while Moawad was a skillful, penetrative menace to opposing defenders on the left.
Jose also packed the midfield with defensive-minded duo Hossam Ashour and Mohamed Shawky, a move which somewhat undermined Ahly's build-up play to attack but, closed down spaces at the back, making it difficult for opponents to carve out spaces.
But maybe his major contribution was finding a way out of an attacking crisis following the Emad Meteb's injury after the likes of strikers Francis Doe and Osama Hosny failed to impress.
Instead of relying on a target man, Jose allowed pacey forward Dominique Da Silva of Mauritania and Mohamed Nagy “Gedo” to attack from deep.
Dominique, who arrived in January, notched three goals, including a crucial one in the late 2-2 Cairo derby draw with Zamalek, while Gedo, who started to win over the fans after enduring a difficult start in his Ahly adventure, took his tally to seven goals this season.
Improved fitness
Jose brought with him three Portuguese assistants when he was re-appointed as Ahly's boss, with the work of one of them, fitness coach Fidalgo Antunes, making the difference at a crucial stage of the season.
Ahly players, including the so-called ageing ones, hardly felt the adverse effects of playing every three or four days in a hectic schedule that was drawn up to save the season following January's popular revolution, which forced a long league break.
They managed to maintain their high-tempo rhythm and elude fatigue and injuries; scoring late goals to claim a narrow 1-0 win over Ittihad and snatch valuable draws with El-Entag El-Harby and Zamalek.
Mercurial midfielder Mohamed Barakat, 34, looked in his 20s with a series of energetic and lively displays, despite being heavily criticised earlier in the season, with some pundits going as far as calling on him to hang up his boots.
Combative defender Wael Gomaa and veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan also appeared in a good shape to play a key role in Ahly's sixth league triumph under Jose.
“Jose is a genius coach! Look at how he transformed Ahly's fortunes,” sports critic Alaa Sadek commented.
“He took charge of them when they were sixth in the league table with little hopes. He worked his magic to lift them up.”