Since his appointment as Egypt head coach in 2004, Hassan Shehata has had more than his fair share of criticism, despite the fact that he led the Pharaohs to continental glory. The 60-year-old boss was regarded as a hero when his country claimed back-to-back African Cup of Nations titles in 2006 and 2008, but pundits have always questioned his ability to manage the national side. He came under fire of late after Egypt's World Cup qualification hopes were dented following a 1-1 home draw with Zambia and an embarrassing 3-1 away loss to Algeria in the qualifiers. The critics were temporarily silenced after a couple of striking performances that saw the African champions lose with dignity to Brazil and register a historic win over Italy in the FIFA Confederations Cup. But Shehata didn't enjoy peace for long, as he faced a baptism of fire after his men succumbed to a shocking loss to the US in their last match in the global competition. In an interview with Arab Radio and Television 'ART', former Zamalek star Shehata went through Egypt's Confederations Cup campaign, and explained why Mido has been left out of the squad for the recent games. Spectacular Form The Egyptians impressed against Brazil and Italy when they were expected to take severe drubbings at the hands of the world heavyweights. When asked about the reason behind Egypt's spectacular form in both matches, Shehata said: "Every player showed off his skills either by a showy pass or a nice dribble against Brazil. "This was the appropriate playing style for that match. Assistant coach Hamada Sedki, who was also in the interview, added: "We were two goals behind by the end of the first half, and that what made us bounce back after the interval. "Shehata also gave the players a pep talk during the break, and it really paid off in the second half." The game, which Brazil won 4-3, could have ended in a draw if it wasn't for Kaka's late penalty. "The confidence that we earned in the Brazil encounter helped us come on with the magnificent demeanor that saw us defeat Italy (1-0)," Shehata elaborated. "Italy required a different strategy than that we plotted against Brazil, therefore I fielded Mohamed Hommos.
Egypt were battered by USA "It was a gamble that I had to take, and it turned out to be the right decision. "Hommos is talented and experienced, and his contribution was one of the main reasons for the win." The Ismaili skipper, who was handed a rare starting berth at the expense of veteran midfielder Ahmed Hassan, scored the winner shortly before the break with a deft header. Fitness Shehata couldn't agree more that Egypt's 3-0 defeat to USA was staggering, especially that it came right after the incredible victory over Italy. He cited the poor fitness of the Egyptians as the main reason for the unsatisfying result. "The Egyptian players don't have the sufficient fitness to play three games in six days, and that's why they ran out of gas in the last match," Shehata said. Assistant Shawki Gharib, who also attended the interview, added: "Shehata didn't have time to prepare the team. He rested some players while others trained lightly, and that wasn't nearly enough to face the US." Speaking of the formation, Shehata assured that he deployed a suitable one against the Americans. "We didn't lose because of a bad formation; we squandered three clear-cut opportunities in the first ten minutes, so the defeat can't be blamed on tactical reasons," he added. "If one of those chances had been converted, the game would have ended differently." Several hours before the game, South African tabloids reported that some of the Egyptian players hired prostitutes at the hotel. The unjustified drastic loss of form against the US was seen by some Egyptian media men as unequivocal evidence of the womanizing claims, which were eventually denied. Shehata sounded his disgruntlement over the scathing criticism the Egyptian national team received after their last defeat. "They (critics) can talk about tactical issues all they want, but no one has the right to trigger such accusations," he said.
Will Mido get back in Egypt fold? Mido Ahead of the Algeria trip in the World Cup qualifying stage, Shehata came under fire for snubbing Middlesbrough striker Mido despite his limited frontline options. The game was preceded by major security worries as a result of the fanaticism of the home fans, who made some serious threats before the game. Shehata said he had to exclude the towering hitman from the squad because his 'big mouth' would have intensified the pressure on his team "Mido has a big mouth; he released many inflammatory statements about the game and his presence in Algeria would have made things much worse," he said. Both men have unpleasant history with each other. The former Roma marksman flew off the handle in Senegal match in the 2006 African Cup of Nations when his tactician decided to replace him with Zaki, who scored the winner shortly after. The notorious exchange could have developed into a shameful fist fight between the player and his coach if it wasn't for then skipper Hossam Hassan, who intervened to cool down the tension. Reconciliation was brought about between Shehata and Mido afterwards, even so, some pundits believe the experienced boss is still holding a grudge against the 26-year-old. Shehata, who also omitted Mido from the Confederations Cup squad, assured that the infamous row had nothing to do with his attitude towards the former Zamalek prodigy. "It's not true that my relationship with Mido has been damaged since 2006," he said. "Mido need to help himself by not sustaining too many injuries if he really wants to help the national side as he always says. "Some critics took advantage of our loss to Algeria and stressed that I was wrong in omitting him, although our performance wasn't that bad. "In general, I have been panned along with the rest of the coaching staff members for a long time, in spite of our undeniable achievements."
