A heated debate arose over the effectiveness of Ahli's new 4-4-2 formation and some held it responsible for the team's friendly defeats while it shouldn't be the focal point of discussions. "Ahli still need reinforcements," former Egypt coach Mohsen Saleh, who played for the Red Devils as a midfielder in the 1970s, told Al-Hayat TV while assessing the team's displays during their pre-season friendlies. New coach Hossam Al-Badri is aiming to impose his own style through employing a new strategy that is unfamiliar to most Egyptian clubs. His predecessor, Manuel Jose, proved a huge success with a more traditional 3-5-2 formation. Under Al-Badri, Ahli lost four games out of six pre-season friendlies, including heavy defeats against Celtic and a second-string Barcelona side in the Wembley Cup. They also failed to win the Egyptian Super Cup after a 2-0 loss to Harras Hodoud. Knives were immediately sharpened for Al-Badri and many pundits called on him to stop implementing the new strategy. He stood firm on his stance but could not realize that his squad was not as good as it used to be during the past five years. Weak Aspects Goalkeeper Amir Abdul-Hamid is yet to prove that he deserves a regular place in Ahli's starting line-up, having committed numerous errors of late. He faced widespread criticism for his poor stops and reactions during Ahli's 5-0 and 4-1 defeats to Celtic and Barcelona respectively in the annual Wembley Cup. Ahli fans showed their disgruntlement with Abdul-Hamid, who became Ahli's first-choice guardian following the sudden departure of Essam Al-Hadari in February 2008, on internet message boards.
Embarrassment against Celtic "Mistakes are natural in football, we can't blame Abdul-Hamid for all the goals Ahli leaked," Al-Badri said, but his words are unlikely to comfort the worried supporters, who were also not happy with the form of stand-in goalie Ramzi Saleh. Egyptian international Wael Gomaa is the only reliable central defender at Ahli's disposal, something which could seriously threaten the Cairo giants' bid to win a sixth consecutive Premier League title. Ahmed Al-Sayed, who wore the skipper's armband following the departure of fellow defender Shadi Mohamed, put in disappointing displays in the Wembley Cup and his sluggishness dearly cost Ahli. Bojan Krkic evaded him far too easily to score Barcelona's opener as the Catalans, who played without several regulars, embarrassed Ahli. Mohamed Samir, who partnered Al-Sayed against Celtic before being replaced with Gomaa against Barca, was also not convincing. "It was a scandal at Wembley," read the headline of Egypt's best-selling newspaper Al-Ahram. "The team's defense was exposed very easily and Abdul-Hamid failed to stop any shot, even the weak ones. Ahli fans no longer trust him," the report added. Moataz Eno and Hossam Ashour, partners at the heart of Ahli's midfield, were criticized for lack of creativity. "They play the same role," Egypt U-20 assistant coach Hany Ramzy, who played as a defender and midfielder for the likes of Werder Bremen and Kaiserslautern during a 12-year spell in Germany, said.
Eno: uncreative "None of them is capable of accomplishing any attacking duties. They are not creative." Even in the front, Al-Badri fielded a lone striker against Celtic and Barcelona after the departure of Angolan Flavio Amado, who joined Saudi Arabia's Shabab, left a void in Ahli's attack. Unused Arrivals Unlike the past few years, Ahli were unable to lure big-name stars as the likes of Petrojet, ENPPI and Harras Hodoud - all are wealthy clubs - opted to keep hold of their prized assets. The six-time African champions were still active in the summer transfer window but had to recruit unknown players from second-division sides. While people do not know the likes of Mohamed Khalaf, Wael Shafik and Ateya Al-Belkasi, Al-Badri had a perfect opportunity to test them during the pre-season friendlies. But they were unused arrivals because Al-Badri, for unknown reasons, did not give them the chance to showcase their talent. They could have provided Jose's former assistant coach with plenty of options if they played and left a good impression but they might now struggle to gel with the rest of their teammates. They could have been the new players Ahli needed.
