During the press conference before their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) opener against Zimbabwe, Egypt coach Javier Aguirre made it clear he prefers to praise his entire team, as opposed to singling out Mohamed Salah.
“Mohamed Salah is a player in my team, just like the remaining 22 players. All of them are Egypt’s players,” the 60-year-old began.
"Reaching this stage is very important, Salah is like the rest of the players and has equal chances, but he is also a very special player.”
Aguirre’s troops claimed friendly wins against Tanzania and Guinea which helped preparations for their Afcon campaign.
The host nation begins their search for a first Afcon title since 2010 against Zimbabwe on June 21, before games against DR Congo and Uganda follow on June 26 and June 30, respectively.
Having been defeated by Cameroon 2-1 in the 2017 final in Gabon, the experienced manager understands the pressure on the side, heading into the competition, and isn’t underestimating any of their opponents.
“Zimbabwe deserve to be in the competition, they are a strong side. Our first game will be very important because it’s the opening game of the tournament, which will put pressure on us.
“However, we will play our usual game against Zimbabwe because we respect them very much. We prepared very well for this difficult game, which we must win.
“Right now, we are only thinking of the Zimbabwe game. The four teams will seek to win every game to qualify,” Aguirre concluded.
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