Mosimane looking to prove doubters wrong by guiding Al Ahly past Raja
Mosimane is confident that his team will reach the semis of the Champions League.
Pitso Mosimane, head coach of Al Ahly SC. (EPA-EFE/KHALED ELFIQI)
It looks as though Al Ahly fans and the Egyptian media have been spoiled too much to a point that they expect the Red Devils to win every game, particularly in the Caf Champions League where they are gunning for an unprecedented third title on the spin.
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Pitso Mosimane was lambasted by journalists after the Red Devils won 2-1 against Raja Casablanca in Cairo this past weekend.
You would swear that the team lost as the general belief is that getting a result in Morocco is difficult, especially now that they need a result to advance to the semif-finals when they meet this weekend in Casablanca. However, “Jingles” is confident that his team will be among the top four sides when the reverse fixtures are concluded.
“This game should have been killed here (Egypt) and we did not kill it but we will win in Morocco, why not? I believe in my team. I have been to Morocco and we won and I know the history of Al-Ahly – you have been to Morocco and you never won (before I came). Why did we not score a lot of goals? It is because we missed a lot of chances,” said Mosimane.
In a boastful tone, the three-time Champions League winner was quick to silence his critics, reminding everyone who are the defending champions, as there appears to be some doubt about Ahly’s capabilities to successfully defend the title and this perception is based on their lukewarm performance in the group stages.
“We don’t know the future and it is very difficult to write us off and say we are not going to make it. We are a good team and we forget quickly who won the Champions League in the last two seasons. I am not saying we are going to win it the same easy way. We have to defend our goal and we will do that by scoring, and if you don’t score, you don’t concede,” said the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach.
“I am not a coach who hides underneath and gives responsibility to players, I do not run away, I face the problem. I am responsible for the team when they score and when they don’t score. All we have to do is go to Morocco and not concede a goal and we have to score a goal,” Mosimane added.
