Zamalek's technical staff does know not the exact problems of the crisis-hit team, assistant coach Sami Al-Sheshini admitted. The Cairo giants edged closer to the relegation zone after slumping to a 1-0 defeat to Ittihad, their eighth Egyptian Premier League loss this season. "We did everything we could but the players still perform badly," Al-Sheshini told reporters after Saturday's game. "We exerted lots of efforts in training to convey our technical instructions to the players but they forget all that when they step onto the pitch. We don't know what else to do." Zamalek suffered two defeats under new coach Michel Decastel, who took over from Ahmed Refaat last month. The Swiss tactician introduced several youngsters and backups in Zamalek's starting line-up against Ittihad. Diminutive striker Sherif Ashraf partnered new arrival Olie Koffi upfront as Gamal Hamza was left on the bench. Youngster Hazem Emam played as a right-back instead of Ahmed Ghanem and left-back Sabri Rahil, who joined Zamalek last month, made his debut. Ashraf, 21, was deemed the culprit as he wasted two clear-cut chances. "He (Ashraf) could have given us a victory but he failed to find the net." "The players who participated against Ittihad are the ones we have. We can do nothing about that," Al-Sheshini added.
