The Portuguese coach of the Egyptian national team, Rui Vitória, announced the final list of players who will travel to Ivory Coast to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations last Saturday.
As soon as he finished the press conference, football fans in Egypt were in uproar.
One of the most prominent was the exclusion of Al Ahly SC centre-back Yasser Ibrahim, who recently shone in the Club World Cup.
The final list in total is:
Goalkeepers: Mohamed El-Shennawy (Ahly), Mohamed Sobhi (Zamalek), Ahmed El-Shennawy (Pyramids FC), Mohamed Abu Gabal (NBE Club).
Defenders: Ahmed Hegazi (Ittihad Jeddah- Saudi Arabia), Mohamed Abdelmonem, Mohamed Hani (Ahly), Ali Gabr, Osama Galal, Ahmed Sami, Mohamed Hamdi (Pyramids FC), Omar Kamal (Modern Future FC) and Ahmed Fattouh (Zamalek).
Midfielders: Emam Ashour, Ahmed Nabil Koka, Marwan Attia (Ahly), Hamdi Fathi (Al-Wakrah SC – Qatar), Mohamed Elneny (Arsenal – England), Ahmed Sayed Zizo (Zamalek) and Mahmoud Hamada (Masry).
Strikers: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool England), Mostafa Fathi (Pyramids FC), Omar Marmoush (Eintracht Frankfurt – Germany), Mahmoud Trezeguet Hassan (Trabzonspor – Turkey), Mostafa Mohamed (FC Nantes – France), Mahmoud Kahraba Abdel-Moneim (Ahly) and Ahmed Kouka Hassan (Pendikspor Turkey).
Despite the uproar about the Portuguese coachs choices in the centre-back position, he was very clear in the press conference, and we will try to simplify that.
He said he would need two players above 190 cm and two young players for the future.
He also mentioned that Ahmed Sami executes his instructions precisely, reminding him of the Swiss watch.
Lets explain all that simply.
He has chosen five centre-backs: Ahmed Hegazi, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Ali Gabr, Ahmed Samy, and Osama Galal. The problem is that he didnt call Yasser Ibrahim.
Ahmed Hegazy and Mohamed Abdelmonem will most likely be the main defenders, and the problem lies in the substitutes.
Here, we recall Vitorias words about the importance of having two players exceeding 190 cm, and we think that this is the reason for Ali Gabr.
Perhaps his point of view is that if the opponent relies on long balls, he must have a tall defender, significantly when advancing in the score, and perhaps changing the method to five in the back.
Looking at the picture below, you will find that Ali Gabr is impressive in the aerial duels won.
However, the problem lies in the defensive duels and positioning, a combination of tackles and interceptions, with low numbers.
Hence comes the fans anger, but Vitorias explanation is logical, and he may not involve him except in the case of the low block in the last minutes of the match.
Ali Gabr Radar Map
We come to the second sentence he said, which is the importance of having young centre-backs to be the national teams future.
The conditions apply to Mohamed Abdelmonem and Osama Galal, who are 24 and 26 years old, respectively.
Therefore, we believe that the competition in the selection was between Yasser Ibrahim and Ahmed Sami, who Vitoria describes as the Swiss watch. Both are 31 years old.
Therefore, we will
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