Congratulations are in order for Ahli club who managed to secure their second successive, and 31st overall, Egyptian league title after beating arch-rivals Zamalek. The Egyptian champions for the second consecutive season that they are simply the best football team in Egypt, if not in the African continent, despite a series of unimpressive performances, compared to their last season. Ahli's continuous triumphs have forced their fans to expect more of Red Devils in terms of performances and results, but it would not be fair for Ahli and coach Manuel Jose to be judged given the hurdles the team had to face throughout the season. Ahli's first challenge was to live up to the expectations of last season where the cruised past all their contenders, produced dazzling performances and huge score lines to grab the local title. They also set an unbeaten record in all competitions, which was broken in December 2005, and grabbed the African Champions League title, Egyptian and African Super Cups midway through this season. All of these competitions, in addition to the local league and cup, took its toll on the team, in turn affecting their performances and scoring ratio. Not to mention that Ahli provided the Egyptian national team with ten players in the team that grabbed the African Cup of Nations last February. These extensive participations have left Ahli's players suffering from both exhaustion and numerous injuries, forcing Jose to field second-string players and youngsters for the majority of the second-half of the league campaign.
These extensive participations have left Ahli's players suffering from both exhaustion and numerous injuries, forcing Jose to field second-string players and youngsters for the majority of the second-half of the league campaign. And unlike Ahli's previous two seasons where new additions like Mohamed Abou-Treika, Mohamed Barakat, Emad Al-Nahhas and others proved their worth for the club, the Cairo powerhouse suffered dearly from their acquisitions this season. Angolan striker Flavio Amado proved impotent up front, Amr Samaka was injury prone while Ghanaian Akwetey Mensah was unlucky to suffer a cruciate ligament injury that sidelined him for the majority of the season. Under the circumstances, Ahli proved what true champions were made of. Not to say that Jose was without a sin. The Portuguese tactician opted to play the majority of the games with his first tier players even if they were exhausted rather than give his reserves a chance to prove themselves in less competitive matches. Jose chose to release striker Ahmed Belal and replace him with the ineffectual Flavio. He also benched players like Nader Al-Sayed, Osama Hosni and Mohamed Abdul-Wahab who got his chance only after Gilberto was injured. Nevertheless, the stability that Ahli enjoyed in terms of administration and tactics, added to the constant support provided by the fans, helped the team survive a tough season. So once again, congratulations to Ahli club, their coach, players and fans on a successful season.
