Marcel Koller’s rotation
 

Swiss manager Marcel Koller has been instrumental in Ahly’s success since taking the helm in September 2022. His tactical leadership have guided the Red Devils to nine trophies, including this latest league title. But mostly his impressive management of the squad during an intense season. Ahly played 20 games in the last two months of the season and the 63-year old tactician had to dig deep into his team as he used 32 players during his league campaign.

Squad depth
 

Ahly’s extensive squad provided strong competition for places, ensuring depth and versatility across all positions. This depth was crucial in maintaining consistency throughout the season. Ahly have flexed their financial muscles to sign key players with the likes Anthony Modeste, Khaled Abdel-Fattah, Omar Kamal, Reda Slim, Emam Ashour and Wessam Abou Ali.

Wessam Abou Ali's scoring spree

Signed from Swedish club IK Sirius in January, Palestinian-Danish forward Wessam Abou Ali made a major impact in Ahly's triumph. The 25-year old striker scored 18 goals in just 18 matches as well as sixth assists. He became the fan favorit and was described by the CEO of Ahly company 'the striker has been looking for for a decade'. He has been the decisive factor in key games scoring the winner against title contenders Pyramids during the first and second legs (3-2 and 1-0), Masry (1-0), NBE Club (1-0) and a hat-trick against Arab Contractors (4-0). 

He will likely scoop the top scorers' award after his outstanding performance.

Record run

Ahly showed their strength and quality when it mattered the most. Since their defeat against Zamalek (3-1), the Red Devils rattled 19 consecutive wins to eclipse their own domestic record set back in 2004-2005 (17 straight wins). This dominant run handed them the title with three games yet to be played.

Zamalek and Pyramids struggles
 

Pyramids FC posed a legitimate threat in the title race and had their first every trophy in sight. However, their inability to deliver in crucial matchups, particularly against Ahly and Zamalek, proved to be their downfall. They lost twice against Ahly (3-2 and 1-0) in a decisive tie for the title and also dropped points against Zamalek in both legs (2-2 and 1-1).

The struggle of arch-rivals Zamalek continues for the third season as they have pulled out of the title race after dropping a lot of points in the earlier stages of the season. The Whites Knights were slapped with a transfer-ban at the end of last season and were unable to bolster their squad. Named in February, coach Jose Gomez is the sixth manager to take over the team in two years.

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