CAIRO: Ahly coach Hossam Al-Badri conceded that his side’s strikers are anything but prolific, in the wake of the Red Devils’ 1-1 draw with a 10-man JS Kabylie side in the CAF Champions League on Sunday.
Apart from lively forward Geddo, Al-Badri fielded Mohamed Fadl upfront and replaced him with Osama Hosni five minutes from the hour mark.
Neither Fadl nor Hosni was able to deliver the goods.
After the game, Al-Badri was panned by sports pundits and Ahly’s fans alike for his ‘poor tactical abilities’ and ‘devastating decisions’.
The former Ahly assistant coach said he takes full responsibility for the unsatisfying result but assured he had exhausted every possible option to bolster the stuttering frontline.
"I take full responsibility for the result but I would like to ask the fans to be more reasonable," Al-Badri told reporters after the match.
"If I played Francis Doe, they would ask why I didn’t field Fadl, or (Mohamed Talaat), and so on.
"All the strikers at my disposal were given a chance, none of them proved their worth though.
"Today our strikers laid siege to Kabylie’s area but couldn’t convert any of the chances they created. They were rather impulsive.
"We do have frontline problems and I’m trying to get (Lebanese summer arrival) Mohamed Ghaddar ready."
Ahly now lie second on six points, two ahead of Nigeria’s Heartland and three clear of bitter rivals and fellow Egyptian side Ismaili.
The six-time African champions will face Ismaili in Ismailia and Heartland in Cairo in their remaining two group-stage matches.
When asked about Ahly’s hopes of reaching the Champions League semi-finals, Al-Badri replied: "We are in second place, so our chance to qualify for the next round is substantial."
