Egypt's inconsistent form in their last games were too confusing, but no one would disagree that the Pharaohs' defense is the main concern ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Rwanda. The African champions' defenders made numerous blunders that resulted in consecutive disappointments of late, and now they are barely trusted to deliver the goods. Poor marking and unjustified awkward movements inside the box from the rearguard were the main reason why Egypt conceded embarrassing goals and slumped to unexpected defeats this year. In the World Cup qualifying stage, Egypt's 1-1 draw with Zambia and 3-1 loss to Algeria are by far blamed on the incompetency of the defenders. The Egyptians were tipped to win both games, but thanks to a stuttering backline their World Cup qualification hopes have all but gone. The shaky defenders were also way below-par in Egypt's 4-3 loss to Brazil in the FIFA Confederations Cup, although the rest of Hassan Shehata's men put in a super performance. The shocking 3-0 defeat to the US was the last and clearest demonstration of the Egyptian defenders' inability to keep strikers at bay. Not only did the defense inefficiency cause Egypt to stumble in critical matches, but it has also encouraged all teams to pull off good results against them. Everyone knows that no matter how in-form the Egyptians are, their backline can be penetrated because the defenders will sooner or later make some of those deadly mistakes.
Wael Gomaa, Hani Saied and Ahmed Saied 'Ouka' are the core of Egypt's defense, and the fact is that none of them is deemed reliable. Even an unfancied team like Rwanda are likely to come on with an offensive approach to snatch a victory over the six-time continental champions, and that's what Shehata has to be tactically ready for. Wael Gomaa, Hani Saied and Ahmed Saied 'Ouka' are the core of Egypt's defense, and the fact is that none of them is deemed reliable. Gomaa, who celebrates his 34th birthday in August, is still combative and in good shape, but for some reason he suffers sudden loss of concentration during games. Saied has been completely out-of-sorts for quite a while. He fails to keep tabs on opposition frontmen, lacks the necessary agility and above all he's exceptionally error-prone. Ouka was more consistent than Gomaa and Saied in the past games, but he's yet to gain sufficient experience on the international stage and is widely expected to slip up in crucial games. In stark contrast to all the recent games, the trio formed a rock-solid defense line in Egypt's historic 1-0 win over Italy in the Confederations Cup, but their level plummeted again against the US. In my opinion, it's high time for Shehata to consider making changes to his backline, because Egypt can't afford such instability in their stern encounter against Rwanda. Ahmed Fathi, who rarely takes up a defensive role, could make a better defender than any of the trio, at least for the time being. The introduction of either Mahmoud Fathallah or Sherif Abdul-Fadil will be a must if any of the starting-eleven defenders show signs of weakness during the anticipated game.
