Portuguese coach José Peseiro, the head coach of Zamalek, held a press conference on Monday at the club’s media center before Zamalek's upcoming match against ENPPI in the 17th round of the Nile Egyptian League.
During the press conference, Peseiro stated: "Our goal is to win against ENPPI. Zamalek fights to win every match and this is another opportunity for the team to improve under the new playing style. There were many positives in the last match but there are also negatives that we need to work on improving."
The head coach added: "We have several absences in the upcoming match and every coach prefers to have a full squad available. We have prepared for the game without the absent players, but I trust all my players and I hope they trust me and themselves."
Peseiro continued: "When a player gets an opportunity, he must seize it. Those who will play in the absence of others must take full advantage of their chance."
He also talked about the team’s recent games: "We haven’t won in the last three matches but the team has performed well and shown improvement. Zamalek deserved to win the last match against ZED but referee errors cost us six points. Anyone can make mistakes, including referees, and I hope such mistakes do not continue. However, this is not an excuse for our three consecutive draws as the team must improve in certain aspects on the field."
The coach believes his team had control in the last match: "Zamalek played well against ZED, dominated the game, and prevented counter-attacks. About 85% of the match was played in the opponent’s half. We need to improve our finishing, crossing and positioning to create more chances and convert them into goals. If we maintain our level of play, we can win all our matches even if we face bad luck."
Regarding officiating decisions, Peseiro stated: "Referee mistakes have affected our league competition. There were two penalty kicks in the Petrojet match and another against ZED that were not awarded. Players' objections to refereeing are within normal limits and I understand that officiating is not an easy job. I hope the VAR referees improve and review mistakes carefully to avoid repeated errors. In our last three matches, we were denied four clear penalties."
Peseiro concluded: "We do not rely on just one playing style. We started the ZED match with a 3-4-3 formation and finished with a 4-3-3. When the team doesn’t win, people question the tactics, but against Petrojet, we started with 4-3-3, and our opponent created more chances than Al Ahly and ZED. The issue is not the formation but the result."
"I have spoken to the players in group and individual meetings and they are happy with our style because it limits the opponent’s chances. I believe this system is effective, and we will continue with it while also developing other approaches. Over time, we will improve our new playing style. The goal we conceded against ZED came from a corner but we created more chances. If we play our way and work on fixing weaknesses, we will secure victories in the upcoming matches."
Zamalek will face ENPPI on Tuesday at 11:00 PM GMT in the 17th round of the Egyptian League.
Zamalek currently sits in third place in the league standings with 29 points.
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