A former Al Ahly player has revealed how Jose Riveiro is superior to his predecessor Marcel Koller.
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Hisham Hanafi, who played for Al Ahly in the early 2000s, admitted that the former Orlando Pirates boss was not the only one to blame for Al Ahly's poor showing at the FIFA Club World Cup, where they failed to advance past the group phase, according to El Balad.
"There are players who weren’t part of Al Ahly’s plans, but Riveiro insisted on keeping them. The Spanish coach isn’t solely responsible for Al Ahly’s exit from the Club World Cup," the former Al Ahly star said.
However, he remained impressed with the Spaniard's tactics shown during the competition.
"I like Riveiro’s calm demeanour — it can benefit the team. He’ll look to build play from the back this season, and he’s excellent at creating chances," he said.
He admitted that it was a part of the game where the Spaniard performed better than his predecessor, Marcel Koller.
"Riveiro surpasses Koller when it comes to chance creation," the former Egyptian international said.
"He’s skilled in goal-scoring systems and will address the issue of missed chances. In my view, Mohamed Sherif’s experience in the Saudi league made a real difference—and his return will be a big asset for Al Ahly," he added.
Hanafi was also happy with the way Al Ahly President Mahmoud El Khatib stressed the importance of youth players.
"I’m very happy with [Al Ahly President] Mahmoud El Khatib’s focus on youth development ahead of the new season," Hanafi said.
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"His work alongside Riveiro and Mohamed Youssef has been fruitful and serves Al Ahly’s interests.”
Photo: Facebook/Al Ahly SC
