Ahly newly appointed coach Fathi Mabrouk (Photo: Al-Ahram)
After winning his first game with Ahly, newly appointed coach Fathi Mabrouk has praised the performance of his team's players during the 3-0 win over third-from-the-bottom Nasr in the 28th matchday of the Egyptian Premier League on Wednesday.
Mabrouk, who had two previous spells in charge of Ahly as a caretaker boss, took over on a permanent basis after the dismissal of Spanish coach Juan Garrido.
"It's not my brilliant work; the players should be extolled for their effort during the game," Mabrouk told the post game press conference.
Ahly terminated the contract of Spanish coach Juan Garrido after their hopes of winning the league for a record-equaling ninth successive time were jeopardised following a 1-0 defeat to Arab Contractors last week, added to exiting the African Champions League after losing to Morocco's Moghreb Tetouan on penalties in the last 16.
Ahly's board sacked Garrido amid anger among passionate fans and appointed Fathi Mabrouk as the new coach.
"I spoke with the players before the game and asked them to close the previous page, as today's effort would improve their ability to returning to winning ways," the new Ahly boss added.
Title holders Ahly, who lie third in the table with 49 points, eight behind joint leaders Zamalek and ENNPI, will face Talae El-Geish in the 29th matchday of the Egyptian Premier League next week.
"We will start preparations for the El-Geish game from Thursday without a break," Mabrouk said.
"Ahly have good players who can make the difference and meet the fans' expectations," the tactician concluded.
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