It's no surprise that Hossam Al-Badri has been influenced by Manuel Jose, but that doesn't necessarily mean he won't have his own identity as a head coach. The former Ahli assistant took charge of the team shortly after the departure of Jose, and he's yet to prove his credentials as a competent boss. Everybody has been wondering over the past few weeks what kind of tactician Al-Badri will make, and so far it seems he has been following in the footsteps of his predecessor, although he assured he's not. The ex-Egypt international had a temper tantrum during Ahli's 2-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen in a friendly match when Ahmed Al-Sayed was red carded; a scene that evoked memories of Jose's short fuse. From my perspective, Al-Badri's inappropriate reaction was off-the-cuff. In other words, he didn't actually mean to imitate Jose's infamous objections to the referees. It's just natural for any person to be subconsciously affected by his superior's approach, especially if the latter was looked up to, and that's the case here. Al-Badri served as the Portuguese boss' assistant over the past five seasons, during which Ahli reveled in the glory of claiming an unprecedented host of trophies. Jose was a legendary Ahli coach whom many players, fans, officials and pundits thought the world of despite his debatable fiery temper and enormous ego.
It's just natural for any person to be subconsciously affected by his superior's approach, especially if the latter was looked up to Al-Badri was definitely one of Jose's admirers when he was his subordinate, and now he's keen to emulate the veteran coach's success. Jose imposed his personality on Ahli over the past years and became the only man in control of the team. He managed the Cairo giants his own way and his iron-clad rules surely paid dividends in terms of titles, and thus Al-Badri is trying to walk the same path. His spontaneous reaction in the aforesaid exhibition game was a clear indication that Jose's character is still in his head, but he should form his own by time. Al-Badri has to discover his advantages and drawbacks as fast as possible in order to take the suitable attitude, which doesn't have to be similar to Jose's. Eventually, Al-Badri might turn out to be cast in a very different mould from Jose. The 49-year-old has been in the hot seat for less than a month. He's still getting accustomed to his new responsibilities, so it wouldn't be fair for him to be judged by critics in these days.
