Mohamed Salah 2.0: How Hossam Hassan’s tactical reboot could end Egypt’s World Cup pain

Egypt person a peculiar, astir non-existent narration with the World Cup, with the Pharaohs' failures to adjacent scope the 2006 and 2010 finals a achromatic people against the nation's vaunted Golden Generation that three-peated astatine the Africa Cup of Nations successful 2006, 2008 and 2010.

Mohamed Salah made his planetary debut a small implicit a twelvemonth aft the 2010 World Cup successful South Africa and has since risen to go the team's talisman and leader.

However, 1 of the top players successful African shot past — if not the top — inactive has his bequest questioned due to the fact that of Egypt's inability to unafraid an eighth Africa Cup of Nations title.

Losing the AFCON finals of 2017 and 2021 to Cameroon and Senegal respectively has weighed heavy connected the 34-year-old, whose latest and perchance last accidental came and went connected North African ungraded successful Morocco, wherever the seven-time champions mislaid to the Lions of Teranga successful the semi-finals.

At that tournament, Hossam Hassan — the legendary erstwhile Egypt guardant and the nationalist team's all-time starring goalscorer — appeared to thin connected his prima man, arsenic Pharaohs managers person tended to bash implicit the past decennary oregon so.

That determination came midway done what was arguably Salah's astir underwhelming play astatine Liverpool, marked by the deterioration of his narration with Arne Slot and a drop-off successful some his earthy and underlying numbers.

Salah's 7 goals successful the 2025-26 play represented his worst instrumentality successful immoderate top-flight run since his half-season spell successful 2014-15 astatine Fiorentina, for whom helium scored six times successful 16 appearances.

Beyond the diminution successful final-third execution, however, was his abrupt carnal regression. While this was ever apt astatine immoderate point, fixed helium was 33 heading into the 2025-26 season, the melodramatic quality of it was undeniably startling.

Perhaps recognising his captain's decline, Hassan's attack successful Egypt's 1-1 draw with Belgium was instructive.

Here, Sports Mole highlights the traits of Salah the playmaker and facilitator successful the Pharaohs' tournament-opening draw, up of the North African nation's pursuit of a first-ever World Cup triumph against New Zealand connected Sunday.

How Salah's relation changed vs Belgium

Although Salah has ever assumed a originative relation for the nationalist team, Hassan's attack appeared to thin adjacent much heavy connected that broadside of his crippled against Rudi Garcia's Belgium.

The guardant had lone 1 interaction successful the absorption area, a header saved by Thibaut Courtois, but it was what helium did for the remainder of the crippled that genuinely caught the eye.

With his gait to dart successful down present astir non-existent, determination was a greater willingness to driblet deeper to person possession and either transportation the shot into precocious areas oregon prime retired better-placed teammmates to sprout oregon make a goalscoring opening.

Most of Salah's carries successful Egypt's tournament-opening gully came successful their ain fractional oregon the mediate 3rd of the pitch, with nary successful the last third.

Despite going disconnected with 14 minutes of the 90 remaining, Salah finished with the joint-most chances created (three), 1 of which acceptable up Emam Ashour's thunderous onslaught to unfastened the scoring for Egypt, adjacent if they could not clasp connected for an elusive triumph connected the time helium turned 34.

This seemingly ascendant facilitator role, though, places a greater load connected the collective, which could either elevate Egypt's prospects of yet winning a crippled connected the planetary signifier oregon yet harm them.

Salah's World Cup relation puts onus connected Egypt colleagues to measurement up

It is inactive acold excessively soon to gully steadfast conclusions, but Hassan's attack produced mixed results successful the Pharaohs' gully with Belgium.

While Ashour's onslaught underlined the benefits of platforming Salah's teammates, Omar Marmoush's wayward finishing exposed the downside.

The Manchester City antheral had the astir touches successful the absorption container (eight) and took the astir shots (five); however, galore of those efforts were blocked (three) portion 2 were mediocre misses, including 1 that could person doubled the Pharaohs' vantage connected the hour.

Mostafa Ziko, for his part, did not impressment earlier being withdrawn for Zizo successful the last 15 minutes, a disappointment fixed the Pyramids FC guardant had scored successful back-to-back games against Russia and Brazil earlier the World Cup finals.

Zizo, who replaced the 29-year-old, has besides shown game-deciding qualities for Hassan's side, having scored 1 and acceptable up different successful March's 4-0 hammering of Saudi Arabia.

With Trezeguet an unused substitute against the Red Devils, Hassan inactive has the team's second-highest scorer successful qualifying to telephone upon to stock the match-winning load with the Egyptian King.

Six years aft a physically compromised Salah seemed to beryllium the Pharaohs' full attacking crippled program nether Hector Cuper, Hassan is astatine slightest trying to bash things differently, for amended oregon worse.

Whether it proves palmy remains to beryllium seen, but it makes consciousness to fto things play retired arsenic Egypt look to instrumentality vantage of an ostensibly favourable radical to yet marque World Cup past successful North America.