Egyptian papers slammed Ahli manager Manuel Jose following his side's 3-0 defeat against Ismaili although the Portuguese has been showered with praise recently after his African and international accomplishments. "Al-Miniawi refutes Jose's myth," was the headline of Monday's issue of 'Al-Ahram Al-Masa'ay', referring to the superiority of Ismaili's manager over his opposite number. The match report went on to blame Ahli's first league defeat in 32 months on Jose's line-up. It added that the Red Devils paid the cost of deploying Mohamed Sedik in the heart of midfield and pushing Mohamed Abou-Treika forward as a second striker. 'Al-Ahram' echoed similar sentiments. "Al-Miniawi ended Jose's arrogance," blared the headline of Egypt's leading newspaper. "Ismaili's national coach Sabri Al-Miniawi has given Jose a footballing lesson and showed him how to play against big teams," said the paper's analysis. "Jose is the main reason behind the defeat because of his wrong and questionable line-up as well as his strange substitutions."
Jose has problems with the press This fresh strike is another episode in the tensed relation between the Portuguese boss and the press. Egyptian media usually describe Jose as arrogant and stubborn while he directly accused several journalists of ignorance and subjectivity. Though, he was hailed as a hero and genius coach after leading Ahli to their second successive African Champions League title before winning the bronze medal in the Club World Cup in Japan. Independent daily 'Al-Masry Al-Youm' adopted a more moderate attitude, saying that Jose's mistakes and the exhaustion that hit Ahli players recently combined to snap Ahli's 71-league-game unbeaten run. Jose was rarely blamed in the 'Al-Gomhoria' coverage of this week's biggest fixture, with the popular paper focusing on how much Ahli stars are brunt out due to their busy calendar. Ahli have played eight league games in 27 days so far after their matches were compacted due to their African and international adventures. Ahli are still in charge of the Egyptian League table, six points clear off second-placed Ismaili with 14 matches to go.
