It will be against all odds if Egypt broke a 24-year failure to reach the World Cup and made it to the Brazil finals amid such terrible footballing atmosphere. But there are several reasons that make me believe this may be the time for the seven-time African champions to realize the so-called ‘World Cup dream'. Pressure First of all, no one will blame this team if the World Cup frustration continued and it is likely that the excuse for another failure is already on the FA's desk. On the other hand, this generation of players will be hailed as heroes if they managed to ‘put a smile on the faces of Egyptian people' and realize what their predecessors have failed to. That's exactly what an Egyptian player wants; relieve him of pressure and let him play his game knowing that failure is an option. It might sound unprofessional but everyone knows that professionalism is a very rare virtue to be found in Egypt, not just in football. In other words, it is fair to say that most Egyptian footballers crack under pressure and the likes of Namibia, Benin, Niger and Sierra Leone are witnesses to that fact. On the contrary, memorable performances against Brazil, Italy, Cameroon and Ivory Coast suggest that Egypt can dazzle when they are second-favorites. Fans In the same context, the absence of fans - bemoaned by everyone related to the national team - could be an extra motivation for players to perform without pressure. Yes the presence of fans is usually a huge asset, but with the current political mess in Egypt, it would be more appropriate to focus on the unusual. Egypt assistant coach Diaa Al-Sayed said that the team missed fan support in the win over Mozambique and he has every right to think like that. However, let's imagine 80,000 supporters – most of which are young citizens depleted by the escalating political unrest and the uncertain future of the country. Patience will not be an option for those hapless fans because the continuous World Cup failure of recent years is still in the back of their minds, let alone their daily suffering. So in my opinion, let Bob Bradley and his crew work quietly because the American's super-cool approach is exactly what Egyptians are missing in the meantime, not the zeal from the stands. African powerhouses Egypt should face no problem getting through the group stage into the final round of the qualifiers and at this stage; a two-legged tie will be the last step toward the Brazil finals. Such a qualifying system – which is relatively the easiest for top-seeded nations – would likely see some African powerhouses lock horns in the final head-to-head stage. But the good news is that most big guns in the Dark Continent are in the middle of a team-building process, a transitional phase that Egypt might be witnessing but in a much lighter scale. For example, there is no Samuel Eto'o for Cameroon and Yakubu Aiyegbeni is no more Nigeria's main man, but Egypt still have Abou-Treika, Meteb, Abd-Rabou and Al-Hadari. It was significant to see the likes of Nigeria, Cameroon and Algeria out of this year's Africa Cup of Nations, while others like Tunisia and Morocco have hardly impressed. So in case Egypt have made the final qualifiers, unless they get Didier Drogba's Ivory Coast or the star-studded Ghana, Bradley's team should have the upper hand against any other team.
