Hossam Hassan raised eyebrows with his explanation for hauling off captain Mohamed Salah against Angola in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Egypt dropped two points on Friday evening, held to a 0-0 draw by visitors Angola in the first round of the African qualifiers.
Salah's withdrawal came an hour in, sparking debate over whether he had picked up an injury.
Asked to explain the change at his press conference, Hassan replied: "Substituting Salah was due to a tactical decision in line with the requirements and flow of the game, and the player is not injured."
The remarks about Salah follow Hassan's criticism of Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy in the build-up to the game.
Hassan said: "At one point Mohamed El Shenawy was finished, and was not playing for his club, yet he returned to his level through the Egypt national team. He is not the only one, but others among the players too."
Group Two of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers features Egypt, Angola, Malawi and South Sudan.
Next Tuesday, Egypt take on South Sudan in the second round of the qualifiers.
A friendly against South Africa follows before the current break ends, on Sunday 4 October at Cairo Stadium.