Zamalek chases attacking plan as alarming gaps emerge in preseason friendlies

Zamalek’s buildup to the 2025–26 campaign has excited fans with attacking energy but exposed troubling defensive lapses.

Under new coach Yannick Ferreira, the team showed promise going forward but struggled to keep things tight at the back.

In six preseason friendlies, Zamalek won four and lost two. They scored ten goals, a decent tally, but conceded nine, a worrying sign. Shams put four past them, Broker scored three, while Wadi Degla and Ghazl El Mahalla added one each.

Ferreira’s philosophy leans heavily on attack, influenced by Argentine tactician Marcelo Bielsa. The Belgian coach is determined to entertain: “My philosophy is to try to create as many opportunities as possible to score as many goals as possible,” he said. His past teams, however, often paid the price at the back.

At Saudi side Al-Riyadh, his team let in 16 goals in just six games. During his time at Omonia Nicosia, he conceded 13 in 14 games. At Al-Fateh, it was 114 goals in 69 matches.

Zamalek will play Ceramica Cleopatra on August 8th.