Zamalek Fire Entire Coaching Staff After Latest Defeat

Football - Lusail Super Cup - Al Hilal v Zamalek - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - September 9, 2022 Zamalek coach Jesualdo Ferreira with Ahmed Sayed Zizo. (Reuters)
Football - Lusail Super Cup - Al Hilal v Zamalek - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - September 9, 2022 Zamalek coach Jesualdo Ferreira with Ahmed Sayed Zizo. (Reuters)
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Zamalek Fire Entire Coaching Staff After Latest Defeat

Football - Lusail Super Cup - Al Hilal v Zamalek - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - September 9, 2022 Zamalek coach Jesualdo Ferreira with Ahmed Sayed Zizo. (Reuters)
Football - Lusail Super Cup - Al Hilal v Zamalek - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - September 9, 2022 Zamalek coach Jesualdo Ferreira with Ahmed Sayed Zizo. (Reuters)

Egyptian football champions Zamalek are under pressure to appoint a new coach - and fast - after firing all of their interim coaching staff in the aftermath of their latest defeat.

Zamalek, who two weeks ago sacked Portuguese coach Jesualdo Ferreira for the second time in two months, lost 3-2 against Al-Masry on Tuesday, despite having led by two goals after 21 minutes.

The club remains in fifth place in the league, 11 points behind rivals Al-Ahly, who also have three games in hand.

Zamalek has taken an axe to the side which won the title last year by six points, and has benched four players for the rest of the season in addition to ripping up the coaching leadership team.

"Club President Mortada Mansour and board members decided to kick all coaching staff out of the club. They... will not be allowed to enter again," Zamalek member board Gamal Abdel-Hamid told his club TV channel.

The club did not name the four players who it said would not feature for the rest of the season.

German Heiko Herrlich is favorite to take over the coaching role and could be unveiled as early as later on Wednesday.



‘Unbelievable’ Odegaard Transforms Arsenal and Gets Saka Smiling Again

 Soccer Football - Champions League - Sporting CP v Arsenal - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - November 26, 2024 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Soccer Football - Champions League - Sporting CP v Arsenal - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - November 26, 2024 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
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‘Unbelievable’ Odegaard Transforms Arsenal and Gets Saka Smiling Again

 Soccer Football - Champions League - Sporting CP v Arsenal - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - November 26, 2024 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Soccer Football - Champions League - Sporting CP v Arsenal - Estadio Jose Alvalade, Lisbon, Portugal - November 26, 2024 Arsenal's Martin Odegaard Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

The goals are flying in again for Arsenal — and it just happens to coincide with the return from injury of Martin Odegaard.

Make that eight goals in two games since the international break for Arsenal after its 5-1 hammering of Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday, tying the English team’s heaviest ever away win in the competition.

Odegaard is back in Arsenal’s team after missing two months with an ankle injury. In that time, Mikel Arteta’s attack stuttered, with a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth and a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle dropping the Gunners well off the pace in the Premier League. There was also a 0-0 draw at Atalanta in the Champions League as well as a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan last month, when Odegaard made his comeback from injury as an 89th-minute substitute.

Since then, Arsenal hasn’t lost and the goals have returned. After a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday came the cruise in Lisbon — and Odegaard was at the heart of everything as Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end.

“He’s an unbelievable player,” Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka said of Odegaard. “The day he returned, there was a big smile on my face. You can see the chemistry we have. I hope he stays fit for the rest of the season.”

Odegaard was involved in the build-up to Arsenal’s first two goals against Sporting — scored by Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz — and was fouled to win the penalty converted by Saka in the 65th to restore Arsenal’s three-goal lead at 4-1.

Odegaard was seen flexing his leg after that but continued untroubled and was substituted in the 78th minute.

The last thing Arteta would want now is another injury to Odegaard as Arsenal attempts to reel in first-place Liverpool in the Premier League. Liverpool is already nine points ahead of fourth-place Arsenal after 12 games.