Multiple injuries, managerial instability, tactical inconsistency and an ‘ageing' generation of players were all hurdles tough enough to break any team's back, yet Ahli managed to get through that and retain their title. Many pundits are talking about the ‘experience' factor, while others believe it is the charm of ‘magician' Manuel Jose. A practical comparison between Ahli and Zamalek, apart from Hossam Hassan's ‘injustice and conspiracy' theories, would eventually prove that the Whites were clear favorites to grab the title from their depleted rivals' grasp. Management With manager Hossam Hassan always enjoying all kinds of support from his club's board and fans even when the team lose, Zamalek were very far from having a managerial problem. On the contrary, Ahli had three different managers on their bench this term and every one of them had to deal with various squad problems. I've never heard of a team who had three changes in their coaching staff in one season and still managed to become champions. 12 Injuries at a time! Injuries to several key players in one season can be devastating for big teams, and this term Ahli were firmly hit by this setback, unlike Zamalek whose only major long-term absentee was Amr Zaki. Ahli's second manager Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Shafi ‘Zizo' revealed that he took the helm with the number of injured players reaching double figures, including first-choice keeper Sherif Ekrami and his then-deputy Ahmed Adel.
A practical comparison between Ahli and Zamalek, apart from Hossam Hassan's ‘injustice and conspiracy' theories, would eventually prove that the Whites were clear favorites to grab the title from their depleted rivals' grasp. “We had 12 regular players injured. Players used to stand in lines to get into treatment rooms!” the veteran coach, who was only in charge for five games midway through the season, said. Tactics Ahli played for more than one year under Hossam Al-Badri with a 4-4-2 formation, but Zizo and Jose restored the traditional 3-5-2 and this has never been an easy task for the players. After such a tactical switch, a player like Hossam Ghaly for example had to shift from midfielder to sweeper before getting back to midfield. The same goes for Sherif Abdul-Fadil and full-backs Ahmed Fathi and Sayed Moawad, who had different tasks to perform with the new formation. On the other hand, Hossam Hassan was quite consistent with his 4-4-2 with Zamalek, building play on the midfield presence of talisman Shikabala, almost singlehandedly won points for his side on many occasions. Is it experience? In addition to the ‘unjust refereeing', Hossam Hassan blamed inexperience on several occasions, while Ahli veteran Wael Gomaa indicated that his side made the difference because of their experience. However, experience cannot be an excuse for Zamalek, even though it has to be said that Ahli have an edge in that attribute. There is no need to talk about the experience of goalkeeper Abdul-Wahed Al-Sayed in comparison to Ahli duo Mahmoud Aboul-Saoud and Adel.
“The reason why we won this title is that we didn't pay much attention to others and we only focused on improving our team,” Zamalek also have double Africa Cup of Nations winners Hani Saied and Mahmoud Fathallah, who has been one of the Egyptian league's most established defenders during the past decade. Talented forward Hussein Yasser has been an international for Qatar since 2002, not to mention spending some time with the ‘experienced' Ahli. The same goes for influential midfielder Hassan Mostafa, who won more trophies than all the Zamalek team players combined together. What is it then? “The reason why we won this title is that we didn't pay much attention to others and we only focused on improving our team,” Ahli football director Sayed Abdul-Hafiz answered the question for us. Hossam Hassan and his twin brother Ibrahim have been doing nothing more than talking about their opponents, even when Zamalek were in charge of the table by some distance. When Hossam Hassan rushed to Jose in a scene that almost marred last month's 2-2 derby thriller, Ahli hardly made a comment over the infamous incident. Jose refused to comment, while Abdul-Hafiz played down the incident, stressing that it took no more than a few seconds. I wonder what the reaction from the White camp would have been if the situation was reversed.
