"Shobier is fully prepared to protect Al Ahly's den for many years".. With these words, the Danish Kai Steffensen, the former Al Ahly goalkeepers coach, spoke about his short experience inside the Red Castle, revealing his vision for the future of the team's goalkeepers, and the most prominent thing that caught his attention during his first experience in Egyptian football.
Steffensen was one of the members of the former technical staff of Al Ahly, led by Jes Thorup, where he took on the task of training the team's goalkeepers during the past season, before the entire technical staff departed at the end of the season.
As is the case with every technical staff, coaches emerge after their local experiences with many ideas and impressions, especially when the experience is with a club the size of Al Ahly.
In this context, the Danish coach praised the level of Al Ahly's goalkeepers, describing his relationship with the team's players and goalkeepers.
Yalla Kora dialogue with Kai Steffensen, former Al Ahly goalkeepers coach
How do you evaluate your experience with Al Ahly? And how did you see the level of the goalkeepers and the competition between them?
"It was a special experience for me, because it was the first time in my career that I worked with a number of international goalkeepers at the same club. There was El Shenawy, Owfa, Hamza, and Siha, and they are goalkeepers who have previously represented the Olympic team and the national team, so there was very strong competition."
"But I think we handled the matter very well, and after a short period I could see that there was strong competition for the starting goalkeeper in matches. I think El Shenawy performed very well, while Hamza had just joined, and Siha is a very good goalkeeper. I think he needs to be a bit calmer and more relaxed, but he is a very talented and strong goalkeeper."
How was your relationship with the goalkeepers, the technical staff, and the players?
"My relationship with them was very good, as well as with the club. We competed in the African Champions League, and we had some minor difficulties due to the players' participation in the Africa Cup of Nations and their return from the national teams, but in the end it was a wonderful experience for me to be at the biggest club in Africa."
"I loved working there, the people were wonderful, the staff and everything was good. We just needed to win a few more matches to achieve the title, but that's football. My relationship with the technical staff, the goalkeepers, and the players was very good. There was a wonderful atmosphere, and if you are honest with them, you know you can trust everyone."
"I think I gained great trust from the goalkeepers. They love me and I love them. Of course it was a bit difficult when we had to leave them, but that's also part of football and part of a coach's job. But all of them did a very good job and never gave up. They have the desire to win, and each of them wants to be the number one goalkeeper."
"Even Hamza told me that he wants to be the starting goalkeeper, and Siha as well, and of course there was strong competition between them for the starting position in the team. Both performed very well, and we can also see in the World Cup that Owfa did a very good job."
"We were working with him day after day to prepare him for Al Ahly and the national team, and I think we succeeded in that. Now he has become Egypt's first-choice goalkeeper, while El Shenawy is the most experienced goalkeeper in Africa, so I am very happy with the work we did."
Do you think Shobier is capable of continuing at this level for many years?
"In football, everything can change, even due to small details, but I think that during the short period I spent there, we succeeded in preparing the best goalkeeper who can continue in his position over the next ten years, as well as to be the goalkeeper of the Egyptian national team."
"And that is Mustafa Shobier. I told him from the beginning when I arrived that I could see he has great potential, but I could also see that there are some small details he needs to develop, and that when the time comes he will get his chance."
"It's not just that if El Shenawy makes a mistake or something happens, Shobier will get the chance. No, he will get his chance when he is ready. I think that over the past two years he was constantly entering and exiting the lineup, entering then exiting, entering then exiting. Now I think he is ready to continue as the starting goalkeeper. For any goalkeeper with potential, it is better to get more consecutive matches."
"Shobier played the last six or seven matches with Al Ahly, in addition to five matches in the Club World Cup, so of course he needs more matches and experience, but for me, he is ready for the next step, and I am very excited to see him and follow him and know how things will go with him, especially after his brilliance in the World Cup."
"As for El Shenawy, he is an experienced goalkeeper, and he has to deal with the matter year after year and see how far he can continue. He is a very good person, a good and professional goalkeeper. As for Hamza, he is now twenty-five years old and also has potential, but words alone are not enough. He needs to play in matches. Over the past two, three, or four years, he has not played a large number of matches, so if he wants to take the next step in his career, he may need to move to a club where he can play regularly."
What caught your attention in Egyptian football?
"The first thing that caught my attention when I came to Al Ahly was the facilities. The training ground was not as good as we are used to in Europe, but I think that over time we made some small changes that helped make training on the pitch go optimally."
"As for the pitches and stadiums in Egypt, I say this with all due respect, but they need development. I think this is a very important matter, because we need good pitches to produce good players and stars. If you train every day on a very bad surface, it is very difficult to develop."
"When you go to Europe and see all these pitches, and you can also go to Morocco and see the pitches there, you will find they are much better. So, for me, there are some things that Egypt needs to change. They must ensure the same ball is used in all matches, with new balls provided in every match. The first point is that they need to develop and invest in training pitches and training facilities in the country. For me, these are the two most important things."
"Football itself is good, and all other things are good, but this matter surprised me a little. I did not expect the pitches to be at this level, and I expected them to be much better."
What is your impression of Al Ahly fans? And what message would you like to direct to them?
As for my impression of Al Ahly fans, it was amazing. They support us very greatly, and when the stadium is full of fans, it is very wonderful. They have a wonderful fan base and we love them. So my only request from them is to continue supporting the club and the team, even when things go through a slightly difficult period, or when we lose a match or two, because the team and coaches need all the support they can get from the fans, and I thank them very much for the wonderful experience I had with Egyptian football."
Do you wish to return again to work in Egypt?
"I would just like to say that I had a very wonderful time in Cairo. The city is very big, but it has great potential, and my family and I enjoyed our time there very much, and I hope that in the future I will have the opportunity to return and complete my work, because I do not feel that I have finished everything I wanted to do."
"We started working to build a world-class goalkeeper, and I think we did a good job, and we changed some small details in the training and also in match evaluation, and it was sad for me to leave the club, but that's part of football."
"Of course we accepted it, but we never know what can happen in football, and perhaps the door will open again and I will have the opportunity to return. Thank you to the Egyptian people, to the club, and to the fans. I enjoyed my time in Cairo very much. Thank you all."
