Greatness awaits Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane

23 October 2016 - 02:00 By Bareng-Batho Kortjaas

Pitso Mosimane is at the centre of the SA soccer universe. Positioning himself at the pinnacle of the African football coaching pile has been Mosimane's penchant. Jingles is in a commanding position to place himself on that pedestal and elevate himself as king of the African football jungle tonight. First he must fell the foe in front of him in the form of Zamalek.The omens are good for the mentor from Kagiso, west of Joburg, who ventured into professional coaching in 2001 at SuperSport United.He has beaten Zamalek three times in four months - twice in the group stages and in last weekend's silky smooth demolition, which left them looking zombie-like when Downs pasted three past them.story_article_left1A highly-rated and one of the longest serving coaches in the country, Mosimane has no confidence deficiency, a mentality he has instilled in a side not inferior in quality. He has bolstered the brains trust on the bench with brilliance.To his right sits Rulani Mokwena, an astute student of the game. To his left rests Manqoba Mngqithi, one of the best coaching brains in the business. The trio is an all-South African ensemble, succeeding at Sundowns where men with mammoth reputations came a cropper at Chloorkop.As a player, Bulgarian bull-terrier Hristo Stoichkov inspired his nation to a semifinal spot at the US '94 World Cup, but his only achievement as coach of Downs was to breathe fire and brimstone. Johan Neeskens was a World Cup finalist in 1974 and 1978 with Johan Cruyff's Holland. But the Dutchman had no silverware to show for his time at Downs.In four years Mosimane has assembled an ensemble who are inspirational individuals and a cohesive collective. He also has less one-dimensional and more multi-functional players. Most crucially, he has also confined to the dustbin the ethos of entertaining the egos of players.On the African campaign, Mosimane has moulded an indefatigable group who've entered every game as equals. Along the way, they've claimed credible scalps. Now they are a heartbeat away from achieving an incredible achievement. Mosimane once called himself the Jose Mourinho of Africa. Looking at the two coaches's current fortunes, Mourinho may desire to be the Mosimane of Europe...

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