Pitso Mosimane says good technical team cohesion is vital to winning

Al Ahly's head coach Pitso Mosimane reacts during the CAF Champions League soccer match between Al Ahly SC and ES Setif in Cairo, Egypt, 07 May 2022. PictureL Khaled Elfiqi

Al Ahly's head coach Pitso Mosimane reacts during the CAF Champions League soccer match between Al Ahly SC and ES Setif in Cairo, Egypt, 07 May 2022. PictureL Khaled Elfiqi

Published Jul 3, 2022

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Johannesburg - Pitso Mosimane has revealed that cultivating good cohesion and chemistry within his technical team has been a vital component of his success.

The 57-year-old is widely regarded as being one of the greatest South African coaches and African coaches in modern times. He won five league titles during his famous eight-year reign in charge of Sundowns and followed that up by winning two CAF Champions League titles during his most recent coaching spell in charge of Al Ahly.

“I teach them and then I sit back. You have to empower them and not micromanage. Nobody is born with experience. You may be nervous but you have to go along and end up doing it,” Mosimane said on Daily Thetha.

Meanwhile, Al Ahly have since appointed Ricardo Soares to succeed Mosimane. 47-year-old Soares is a journeyman coach who has been in charge of no less than ten different teams since starting his managerial career in 2005.

Meanwhile, Esperance head coach Nabil Maaloul has sensationally claimed that Al Ahly should have sacked Mosimane earlier than when he actually left. Maaloul feels that the football played by the club has been lacking identity for some time.

"Mosimane should have been replaced a while ago. This is not Al Ahly we know," Maaloul told ONTime Sports.

"Egyptian fans love to see good results, but they also want to see good football.

"Ricardo Soares is a good coach and he plays good football, big teams like Al Ahly must have a coach who can deal with criticism” added Maaloul.

Question marks continue to remain over the future of Mosimane. So far, he has been mum on his plans, stating that he is happy to take a break from football in order to focus on the development of Pitso Mosimane Soccer Schools.

Mosimane’s new Soccer Schools initiative will aim to boost the quality of grassroots football development in South Africa which has come under fire amidst the various men’s national team’s struggling for consistency at the highest level.

Mosimane has been linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He has a following in the Middle East due to his work with Al Ahly. During his playing days, “Jingles” also turned out for Qatari club Al Sadd.

@eshlinv

IOL Sport