Despite losing to Barcelona, Al Ahly came away from their meeting with the Spanish giants with several technical and morale-boosting positives. Saudi analyst Emad Al-Salmi praised the Egyptian club’s mentality, emphasizing that the team’s reaction to the defeat reflects its ambitions ahead of the new season. ⚽
Al-Salmi believes that Al Ahly’s frustration after losing 2-1 to one of the world’s biggest clubs carries important significance, particularly because the Egyptian side did not approach the match as merely a friendly encounter. Instead, the team showed a clear desire to achieve a positive result against a major opponent.
🔥 Al Ahly’s Frustration Reveals the Team’s Character
Emad Al-Salmi said that the frustration shown by Al Ahly after the defeat to Barcelona reflects the club’s stature, stressing that such high expectations and ambitions are an important part of the team’s identity.
The Saudi analyst explained that losing 2-1 was not enough to satisfy Al Ahly, highlighting the competitive mentality within the club even when facing a team of Barcelona’s stature.
The praise comes as Al Ahly look to build a new identity under head coach Hussein Ammouta, who is working to find the best lineup and playing style before the start of official competitions. ⭐
⭐ Clear Ideas, But the Picture Is Not Complete
From a technical perspective, Al-Salmi believes that Al Ahly already have clear ideas on the pitch, but the team still needs more time to reach its highest level of understanding and cohesion.
He described the situation by saying that “the dish is not complete yet,” suggesting that the team needs additional time before the coaching staff’s ideas become more clearly visible, particularly with several players still adapting to the group.
This is understandable given that preseason is primarily designed to test different systems and determine the most suitable roles for the players, rather than necessarily producing the team’s final form from the first major friendly match.
🧤 El Shenawy and Zizo Among the Main Positives
Despite the defeat, several Al Ahly players produced notable performances against Barcelona, most prominently Ahmed Mostafa Zizo, who scored the team’s only goal and provided an attacking presence that gave Al Ahly a chance to return to the match.
Mohamed El Shenawy was also among Al Ahly’s standout performers after saving a Barcelona penalty in the final minutes, keeping the deficit at one goal and giving his team an opportunity to search for an equalizer until the final whistle. 🧤✨
These performances provide the coaching staff with valuable indications ahead of the new season, especially because high-level matches reveal the players’ readiness and their ability to handle pressure against teams with significant experience.
🏆 Al Ahly Close the Barcelona Chapter and Prepare for the League
Al Ahly recently concluded their overseas training camp in Spain, which began on August 6 as part of their preparations for the new season. The team played three friendly matches during the camp.
The Red Giants began with a 3-0 victory over Spanish side Badalona, before suffering a 2-1 defeat against Europa, and then concluded the camp with the meeting against Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy.
The Al Ahly delegation returned to Cairo on Thursday morning aboard a private plane, beginning a new stage of preparations for official competitions after the coaching staff gathered a number of technical observations during the camp.
📢 Al Ahly’s Match Against Eastern Company Enppi
Al Ahly are now preparing for their first official Egyptian Premier League match of the season, when they face Eastern Company Enppi in the opening round.
The match is scheduled to take place at 8:00 p.m. next Sunday, August 23, at Cairo International Stadium.
Al Ahly will be looking to translate what they gained during preseason into a strong league start, particularly as the team enters the campaign with major ambitions and needs early victories to build confidence and stability.
Ultimately, the Barcelona match should be viewed as one stage in a much longer journey rather than a final measure of Al Ahly or their coaching staff. With continued work and improved understanding between the players, official competitions will provide the real test of the team’s ability to compete for trophies.
Can Al Ahly turn the Saudi analyst’s praise into results on the pitch and begin the new season strongly? 🏆🔥 Share your prediction for Al Ahly’s form this season and tell us what you believe were the biggest positives from the Barcelona match.
