The two coaches worked together at Masandawana with the Caf Champions League trophy marking the height of their time as colleagues
Mamelodi Sundowns co-coach Rhulani Mokwena has described his former boss Pitso Mosimane as a “fantastic” and “strong coach” as he explains the lessons he learned from the now-Al Ahly coach.
Mokwena was part of Mosimane’s backroom staff at Sundowns during a successful period in which they claimed a number of major trophies.
Their achievements include winning the Caf Champions League and the Caf Super Cup as well as Sundowns participating at the Fifa Club World Cup.
“Coach Pitso Mosimane was fantastic for me, I learned so much from him,” Mokwena said on the Coaches Corner podcast as per Diski Times.
“Not necessarily about the pitch, but more about off the field management, managing the output management as we call it in terms of managing the office, managing colleagues and managing the support staff and even the players and trying to get the best out of the players.
“The winning mentality also was something that coach Pitso was very strong with, but also on the pitch, he was very good. But I always say that at that moment, you have to be the assistant that the team needs or the coach that the team needs.
“I had a very strong coach in relation to demanding from the players when I was at Mamelodi Sundowns first stint and coach Pitso was extremely aggressive with regard to the pressure that he put on the players.
“And I had to be a bit more subtle and supportive, and more of the good cop, also tried to support as much as I could with regard to training and preparation of the team on the pitch.”
Mokwena was Mosimane’s assistant under two stints punctuated by some time at Orlando Pirates and Chippa United.
The youthful coach started as an assistant to Milutin Sredojevic at Pirates, before being the head coach on an interim basis until the arrival of Josef Zinnbauer.
He then left the Soweto giants to coach just one game at Chippa United before Mosimane invited him back to work at Chloorkop.
“When I moved to Pirates, the role was a lot similar but with a little more pressure because we had a different coach Milutin Sredojevic who came in and was someone that works very hard, but also as good with relations with the players,” added Mokwena.
“When I was at Pirates with Milutin, I ended up having to do a little more of the demanding and putting a lot more pressure on the players and I tried to be the coach that I felt that the head coach needed and that’s always my take even now as a coach my belief is trying to be the coach that you feel the team needs.”
At the beginning of last season, Mokwena was rumoured to be on his way to Al Ahly to join Mosimane but the former Bafana Bafana coach opted for Calvin Johnson to work as his assistant.
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