Egypt coached by Carlos Queiroz has already qualified play-off (the next stage of the African zone qualification for the 2022 World Cup), hosted and beat Gabon (2: 1) in the last round of Group F.
In a press conference after the game, the Portuguese coach praised the journey since taking his seat, not only in terms of results, but above all in terms of preparing for the future.
“If there was a winner, it could only be Egypt, we had more quality and more chances, but we won more than one game, we got the opportunity to introduce new players and learned many positive lessons. We played four matches, with three wins and one draw, and the players must be congratulated. It’s time to think about preparing for the future. We need to think about a lot of details, both on and off the pitch. In football, there is never a perfect formula, there is always the best. We might not just have 11 players, but 23 or 30 to give them confidence and time. In Egypt, a few weeks ago, no one could have imagined that some players could play with the national team, but now they are there, ready to help. Together we will all be stronger in the future. This game was an opportunity to grow, gain experience. When the youth make their national jersey debut, it weighs 200 grams in the dressing room and a tonne on the pitch in front of 90 million Egyptians. That is why we must give them experience, support and confidence. And praise them. Some of the players weren’t even known for a while. In the future, we hope that there will be 40 to choose from out of 11, ”he stressed.
