Ismaili defender Sherif Abdul-Fadil, who established himself as a key player in the team's backline, highlighted the need for a new coach to lead the team next season. In an interview with FilGoal.com, the combative defender bemoaned the departure of influential duo Hani Saied and Hosni Abd-Rabou. He also reflected on Ismaili's pre-season preparations. How do you rate Ismaili's pre-season preparations? The first phase of the preparations in Alexandria was very good, it heavily benefited us. But the second phase in Syria was not that good. Why? Ismaili missed many players in the training camp in Syria. That's why we couldn't take full advantage from the camp like we did in Alexandria. Furthermore, the players were exhausted after playing several friendlies in a short duration as we are still in the early stages of the season. Ismaili are yet to appoint a new coach following the departure of Emad Soliman, does that affect the team? I want to stress that interim boss Khaled Al-Qammash is doing a great job with the team. But we still need an experienced and a charismatic coach to lead us. A coach of this kind will motivate the players to exert lots of efforts to convince him that they deserve a place in Ismaili's squad. Do Ismaili miss the presence of Hosni Abd-Rabou and Hani Saied? Yes, they do. To be honest, the club are yet to find replacements for them. Ismaili were suffering last season whenever the duo were not available. You could imagine the situation now after they left the team. What about the players Ismaili signed to fill the void left by Abd-Rabou and Saied? Ibrahim Saied is the only close-season arrival who could fill in for Abd-Rabou and Saied, either in defense or in midfield. He has a plenty of experience, having played for Cairo giants Ahli and Zamalek as well as playing abroad. What do you think about the other arrivals? They are very good players but will need time to gain experience and make an impact. Mohab Saied, Farid Dowidar and Mohamed Eid are still young; they don't have to shoulder the responsibility of helping Ismaili compete for the league title.
