Al-Qanah coach Nasser Mohamed credits tactical superiority after Al Ahly stalemate

Al-Qanah technical director Abdel Nasser Mohamed has credited his side’s tactical approach after holding Al Ahly to an entertaining 3-3 draw in the seventh round of the Egyptian Premier League.

Mohamed revealed that his team carefully planned to neutralise Al Ahly’s key attacking threats, assigning specific defensive responsibilities to his players to limit the influence of Imam Ashour, Ashraf Ben Sharqi and Ahmed Sayed Zizo.

Speaking to MBC Masr, the Al-Qanah coach explained that Mahmoud Harsha was tasked with containing Ashour in midfield, while right-back Osama Al-Najjar was responsible for dealing with Ben Sharqi.

“The player Mahmoud Harsha was able to stop the danger of Imam Ashour from the middle, with the decline in the level of Imam Ashour in the match,” he said.

Mohamed also disclosed that he instructed defender Mohamed Al-Shabini to mark Zizo closely after noticing the Egyptian international’s tendency to move into central areas and create numerical superiority in midfield.

“On the other side, Osama Al-Najjar, the right-back, successfully dealt with the Moroccan Ashraf Ben Sharqi. On the other side, Zizo was entering the depth of the field, and he was the extra player inside the heart of the field, so I gave instructions to the defender Mohamed Al-Shabini to mark Zizo (man to man),” he added.

The coach further explained that his side had prepared for the attacking runs of Al Ahly right-back Mohamed Hany, with Mohab Sami assigned to deal with the threat whenever the defender advanced.

“Therefore, when Mohamed Hany increases the attack, he will have left-back Mohab Sami with him. With that, we have shut down all of Al-Ahly’s key players, and freed up striker Shalata to attack only without defending,” Mohamed stated.

Despite his satisfaction with the tactical plan, the Al-Qanah coach believes Ashour and Zizo have not been performing at their best in recent weeks.

“In my opinion, there is a decline in the level of the duo Ahmed Sayed Zizo and Imam Ashour with Al-Ahly during the current period,” he said.

Al-Qanah’s 3-3 draw denied Al Ahly maximum points in the league, with Mohamed’s comments highlighting the tactical preparations that helped his side compete against the Egyptian giants.

The result leaves Al Ahly needing to address their inconsistencies as they seek to improve their performances in the Egyptian Premier League.