CAIRO: Egypt head coach Hassan Shehata said that his team will have a tough task on their hands when they meet DR Congo in the African World Cup qualifier in Kinshasa on Sunday.
The African champions last game was the humiliating 4-0 friendly loss to Sudan, but despite the poor performance in Khartoum Shehata expressed his confidence that his team will go through to the next qualifying round.
I have to admit that I m worried. After watching my team collapse in such way against Sudan – even though it was a friendly – I became worried. The players were careless and disoriented, Shehata told FIFA.com.
I m also concerned that we ll have to play while we re fasting in Kinshasa but I m still confident that the players will recover, we cannot accept another defeat in these qualifiers, and I ve no doubt that we ll reach the final round.
Shehata admitted that the national side have been having a disappointing spell since winning their second consecutive African Cup of Nations title last February in Ghana.
It s true we’ve been struggling of late, we lost to Malawi and two weeks ago was the Sudan thrashing. I know it was a shocking result but I ve to say that it wasn’t an ordinary day. We conceded three goals in the last eight minutes.
We need more time to train before games, this is something we ve decided to overcome in future by going into camp at least five to six days before any match, added Shehata.
Once Egypt progress to the second qualifying round he won t be concerned about facing any African top side in particular, he said.
We are the current champions of Africa, and everyone is supposed to fear us not the opposite. We are lucky we will be seeded top of our group which will spare us from facing opponents like Cote d Ivoire, Cameroon and Nigeria.
Talking about the success of clinching two African titles in a row, Shehata stressed that his democratic approach has been a major factor in maintaining his team s improvement.
I credit most of the success to my democratic strategy at work. I believe in making decisions based on the advice of my team and I appreciate my assistants experience.
I even give my players the space and freedom to share certain decisions with me, which tightens our relationship, explained the former Zamalek star.
Shehata defended himself when asked about excluding some big names out of his squad like Ahmed “Mido Hossam before and dropping Borussia Dortmund s Mohamed Zidan from Congo game.
Discipline is the most important thing in my relationship with the players, and I won t select an undisciplined player in my squad even if he s technically better than the rest, said Shehata.
But at the end of the day I look upon my players as my children. And I always leave the door open for any of them to return.
Egypt enter the Kinshasa encounter lying second behind DR Congo in group L of the first qualifying phase, with both teams on nine points but Congo leading on goal difference.
