Danish coach Jess Thorup, the former technical director of Al-Ahly and current coach of Belgian club Genk, admitted that his team still needs a lot of work, after suffering two consecutive 4-0 defeats in friendly matches against Dutch Alkmaar and German Bayer Leverkusen.
Belgian newspaper VoetbalPrimeur reported Thorup's statements, who said: "We chose to face very strong opponents during the preparation period. Leverkusen is one of the elite European teams, and its Spanish style of play causes problems for many teams".
He added: "The difference in quality was clear in all aspects, not only at the individual level, but also in decision-making with and without the ball. These matches showed us that we still need hard work".
The former Al-Ahly coach concluded his statements by emphasizing his aspiration for improved performance in the upcoming friendly match against Twente, saying: "If we can regain some confidence, it will show on the players. There is no point in blaming them now, as we all know where we stand and what we need to develop".
The Danish coach, Thorup, had opened his journey with Genk by winning a friendly against Scottish Motherwell with four goals to three, before losing in the second friendly against Falkirk with one goal to nil.
