CAIRO: Egyptian critics are continuing to lash out at Ahly manager Manuel Jose following his side s 3-0 defeat against Ismaili on Sunday. The boisterous criticism comes despite the recent honeymoon between the Portuguese manager and the press who had showered him with praise recently after his African and international accomplishments. Al-Miniawi refutes Jose s myth, was the headline of Monday s issue of Al-Ahram Al-Masa ay, referring to the superiority of Ismaili s manager over his opposite number. The match report went on to blame Ahly s first league defeat in 32 months on Jose s line-up. It added that the Red Devils paid the cost of deploying Mohammed Sedik in the heart of midfield and pushing Mohamed Aboutrika forward as a second striker. Al-Ahram echoed similar sentiments. Al-Miniawi ended Jose s arrogance, blared the headline of the country's leading newspaper. Ismaili s national coach Sabri Al-Miniawi has given Jose a footballing lesson and showed him how to play against big teams, said the paper s analysis. Jose is the main reason behind the defeat because of his wrong and questionable line-up as well as his strange substitutions. This fresh strike is another episode in the tensed relation between the Portuguese boss and the press. Egyptian media usually describe Jose as arrogant and stubborn while he directly accused several journalists of ignorance and subjectivity. Conversely, he has hailed as a hero and genius after leading Ahly to their second successive African Champions League title before winning the bronze medal in the Club World Cup in Japan. Independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm adopted a more moderate attitude, saying that Jose s mistakes and the exhaustion that hit Ahly players recently combined to snap Ahly s 71-league-game unbeaten run. Jose was rarely blamed in the Al-Gomhuria coverage of this week s biggest fixture, with the popular paper focusing on how much Ahly stars are brunt out due to their busy calendar. Ahly have played eight league games in 27 days so far after their matches were compacted due to their African and international adventures. Ahly are still in charge of the Egyptian League table, six points clear off second-placed Ismaili with 14 matches to go.
