Mohamed Shawky says title talk is premature after victory over Zamalek

After the victory over Zamalek, Mohamed Shawky said it was too early to talk about winning the league. ZED won the match by three goals, but the coach sought to temper expectations surrounding the result.

“Talking about winning the league is premature,” Shawky said at a press conference. He explained that his priority was to get his players ready for the matches ahead: “My main objective is to prepare the players for the league and African matches, given that they have been away from official games for a long time.”

The coach also said he would have liked more room to rotate his squad: “I would have liked to make more substitutions, with more than 5 players.” He added that his team’s aims did not depend on the lineup selected by Zamalek: “These are our objectives for this match, regardless of whether Zamalek played with its second or third team.”

Shawky, however, chose to focus on preparation rather than the prospect of a title.