Al Ahly’s newly appointed head coach Jose Riveiro has received words of encouragement from club legend Abdel Moneim Hussein ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Riveiro, who joined the Red Devils last month from South Africa’s Orlando Pirates, faces an immediate challenge as the team prepares for the club-level prestigious tournament.
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The Spanish tactician has so far overseen just one match, a friendly against Mexican side Pachuca, which ended in a 1-1 draw before Ahly lost 5-3 on penalties.
That result has sparked early criticism from some former club legends, who have been questioning whether Riveiro is the right man to lead the team to international success.
However, Shatta has called for patience, urging fans and legends to give Riveiro time to build a strong squad, especially as he continues to integrate new signings.
"The result of the Pachuca match was important for Al-Ahly to win because it was a way to restore honour from the previous tournament," Hussein said per Baladnaelyoum.
"Al-Ahly lost the friendly match against Pachuca, but the team has made many gains, as Al-Ahly's coach, Jose Riveiro, has relied on a large number of new players in addition to the veterans, especially since Riveiro took over the position a few days ago and is still getting to know the players' abilities.
"The experience is very useful for players to get used to the large time difference, which affects their sleep and fitness. We cannot evaluate a coach based on a single trial match, especially since Al Ahly has signed more than one new player, and the coach needs time to get to know their level.
"Having a large number of stars is a great advantage, but it creates problems if some stars do not participate in more than one match. The coach needs a method to include these stars in matches, which is the difficult equation of how to satisfy all of these stars," he added.
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"Al-Ahly is required to advance from the group stage [of the FIFA Club World Cup] to satisfy the ambitions of its fans, which creates pressure on the players and increases their tension. I wish Al-Ahly success and victory in its upcoming matches."
Al Ahly will begin their Club World Cup campaign against Inter Miami on Sunday, June 15, before facing FC Porto and Palmeiras in their group-stage matches.
