Michel Iannacone, Al Ahly’s goalkeeping coach, spoke ahead of the team’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup for the seventh time in the club’s history.

In an exclusive interview with us, Iannacone talked about the team’s preparations for the tournament and addressed the current challenges that the team is facing before Saturday’s match against C.F. Monterrey of Mexico.

“It’s a big competition and we are so happy to be here for the second time. It’s not easy to be here for two times in a row.” 

“The pressure is part of football. When you win, the people demand more from you. It’s normal. It’s part of the game.”

“Last year we won the bronze medal and now this year we’ll try to make an even better achievement.”

“Everyone in Africa knows the quality of Mohamed El Shenawy, our goalkeeper. Injuries are also part of the game. However, we trust everyone. We have Ali Lotfy, Moustafa Shobeir, and Hamza Alaa. They played very well in the previous games.”

Iannacone concluded his interview by saying that he knows that C.F. Monterrey is a difficult team to play against, but he’s confident that our players are able to advance to the next round.