Egypt’s period of success during the late 2000s at the Africa Cup of Nations can be defined by forward-thinking attackers who seemed to only have one instruction on their mind when taking the pitch: go for goal. In 2006, the duo of Ahmed Hassan and Emad Moteab scored eight of Egypt’s 12 goals. Two years later the triumvirate of Hosny Abd Rabo, Mohamed Aboutrika and Amr Zaki netted four each. In 2010, it was Hassan again, alongside super-sub Gedo, who averaged a goal every 35 minutes.
The country now boasts their best-ever goalscorer in Mohamed Salah. But the mentality has changed somewhat and he has scored only six goals in three Afcon editions, two in each. Combining that with the fact that he is relied on as Egypt’s primary creator makes one thing abundantly clear: he needs help.
Since the golden generation of the late 2000s, Egypt have been to two Afcon finals, losing in 2017 to Cameroon before falling short against Senegal in 2022. During both those runs, Egypt’s negative football got them to the ultimate match. But it also caused them to crash in their final act.
That is not to say that defensive football is bad. Sometimes, it is necessary. The stark reality of tournament football is that tactical astuteness often is needed to progress. Not a single Egyptian would have batted an eye towards the style of play if Salah and co had gone on to lift either of those Afcon trophies. But the final losses show the obvious: there needs to be a balance. Defensive stability can only get you so far. You need to have decisive finishers (note the plurality of the word) who you can count on when it matters. If Egypt heads to Afcon again relying solely on Salah to carry the goalscoring burden and creativity, then the ending of their story is going to be a familiar one.
Egypt’s current starting forward line consists of Salah and Mahmoud Hassan, better known as Trézéguet, on the wings and Nantes’ Mostafa Mohamed in the centre forward role. All three are in good form for their club sides, but there is another player who could emerge as a formidable goal threat and a potential relief for Salah: Omar Marmoush.
The 24-year-old has thrived since moving to Eintracht Frankfurt last summer, taking the place of the seemingly irreplaceable Randal Kolo Muani. Marmoush is currently Eintracht’s top scorer, having already bettered his best-ever full-season attacking statistics with seven goals and three assists in 14 league games.
His most memorable performance of the season so far came against Bayern Munich in Frankfurt’s 5-1 victory with a goal and two assists, but his output is more impressive when considering the variety of goals he offers. Whether outmuscling defenders, scoring with long-range strikes or dribbling through an array of bodies before finding the net, Marmoush is a player transformed.
He is a winger by trade but under Dino Toppmöller he has adapted to playing further up the pitch. His newfound versatility in playing as a lone striker or part of a front two has helped refine his eye for hitting the back of the net.
“Omar is a very good player who has now discovered scoring goals a bit,” said Toppmöller after Frankfurt’s 3-0 defeat of Union Berlin, where Marmoush scored the first two goals. “We’re working with him there. The goals that are coming for him at the moment are only a reward for the hard work he puts in for us.
“Because of his speed, he always has moments that are uncomfortable for a defender when he makes that deep run. But he now also has a feeling for getting into dangerous areas again and again, and helping us with his footballing technique.”
His improvement this season has not gone unnoticed by the Egypt manager Rui Vitória, who recently mentioned Marmoush alongside Mohamed as his side’s goalscoring threat, begging the question of whether we might see him in a new role.
Mohamed is more of a traditional No 9 who will give Egypt an aerial threat and work tirelessly to get the better of the centre backs he comes up against. Nonetheless, he can find himself isolated. Marmoush, who averages per 90 minutes more shots on target, chances created and progressive carries than Mohamed and Trézéguet, can drop in deep, dribble out of tight spaces and create chances for those around him, like Salah.
Egypt finally have in-form options up front, which has not been the case for more than a decade. The hope is that Vitória recognises when the unique strengths of his forward players are needed and acts accordingly.
Since the 2010 triumph, Egypt have been in a strange position. They are often tipped as one of the Afcon favourites because of their aura and Salah, but they have not been very good. Teams defend incredibly deep against the Pharaohs, but because they themselves have not had the quality going forward, they also play defensive football.
The result is, at best, 90 minutes of deep soul boredom that, for Egypt fans, has not been worth it when another team inevitably goes on to lift the trophy. In Ivory Coast, we can still expect the same scrappy Egypt of the past decade, but maybe this time, when the ball ventures into the final third, there will be a bit more of the fluid football that fans came to expect from the golden generation.
Salah has long been the Pharaohs’ shining star and will likely remain that way for some time. Constantly in the spotlight since his debut, he has been tasked with carrying a mediocre side. But it has not been enough. Because for every big name, there needs to be a fitting supporting act. Marmoush can be exactly that if given the chance. – Guardian
