Koller tells Al Ahly fans: It's still early days

by Staff Reporter

Monday Feb 20, 2023. 13:00

Al Ahly head coach Marcel Koller admitted to being disappointed by their 1-0 defeat to Al Hilal on Friday but told the club’s fans it’s too early to start panicking.

The Red Eagles trail Group B leaders Mamelodi Sundowns by six points with a game in hand after Makabi Lilepo’s 53rd-minute free-kick settled the CAF Champions League tie at the Al Hilal Stadium in Omdurman.

The hosts dominated proceedings in the second half and Koller’s side struggled to pose a threat in front of goal, with the Swiss tactician insisting the game gave him a good indication of the problem areas in the team.

However, Koller believes the 10-time African champions will only get better as the competition progresses and urged their supporters to remain calm.

“We are disappointed of course but it’s only our first game of the tournament and we will work on fixing our mistakes,” he said.

“I think this game shed a light on some of the issues we have at the moment and we will analyse them and try to do better.

“There’s no need to worry because we will improve with time and will only get better in our upcoming games.

The Cairo giants will host Sundowns at the Al Salam Stadium on February 25 before playing their catch-up game against Coton Sport on March 4.