Jose Mourinho, at the peak of his powers, had the ability to almost manifest reality by putting what his opponents did not want to happen into their minds, so that they inevitably would end up doing it.
There have been comparisons between Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane and Mourinho, though the off-field expertise in football’s dark arts and mind games is probably the closest similarity. Mosimane’s belief in freer football — though he certainly knows how to have his teams grind out a result when they need to — separates the South African from the Special One.
Mamelodi Sundowns and their trio of coaches — Manqoba Mngqithi, Rulani Mokwena and Steve Komphela — might be wondering if Mosimane cast a spell on his old team in the 2021-22 Caf Champions League.
By beating Ahly back to back, both times 1-0, in the group stages, Sundowns had positioned themselves among the favourites for this edition and perhaps add another Champions League title to their first in 2016. Ahly, after all, were the twice-in-succession defending champions.
It was not just those wins against Ahly that made the continent take notice. Sundowns ran away with Group A as 16-point winners (the highest in the stage) to Ahly's 10, clinching qualification with a game to spare. The other three groups all came down to the final day.
The pressure is on them. They have to win it. I mean if they can beat Al Ahly home and away they must just as well win it. If they don’t win it, it’s a PSG story again.
— Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane
Mosimane, after his team's second defeat to Sundowns in Johannesburg, would have known the Brazilians, in the knockout stages, were one of the biggest threats to his team retaining an unprecedented third consecutive title.
Perhaps it is giving too much credit to the ex-Downs coach, but he did seem to plant a seed when he slyly cautioned his old team, after the game at FNB Stadium, to not do a PSG. French giants Paris St-Germain have been impressive in the last few years in the early stages of the Caf Champions League but choked near the end.
“The group stages will deceive you all the time,” Mosimane warned with vintage lyricism.
“Sundowns have the opportunity to win [for the first time] since 2016 — it’s been too long, man. They’ve invested a lot of money in players and you can see even in the January transfers they’ve invested a lot of money — even more than us.
“The pressure is on them. They have to win it. I mean, if they can beat Al Ahly home and away they must just as well win it. If they don’t win it, it’s a PSG story again, akere [right]?
“What’s important is winning that trophy — put it on the table. Then we talk. Now it’s OK, it’s part of football [to lose in the group stages]. You can win all the group matches, but I think you know the story at the end.”
In last season’s Champions League, Sundowns played attractively in their quarterfinal against Ahly, even seeming to dish out something of football lesson in the first leg in Cairo, but conceded two goals from defensive errors that the Red Devils gleefully pounced on. Ahly did almost nothing but defend in the 1-1 return leg in Pretoria. Somehow, just by closing shop, giving away nothing and making no game of it against a team that wants a game of it in both legs, Mosimane had overseen a 3-1 aggregate win.
This campaign, when Sundowns drew the team with the least pedigree of the eight in the quarterfinals, Angolan outfit Petro Atletico, they might have just allowed themselves to believe the path to the semis was open. By the group performance and two wins against Ahly, Mngqithi, Mokwena and Komphela might have felt the lessons of the previous campaign had been learnt. If they did, that’s exactly what Mosimane would have wanted them to believe.
Poor goals conceded in a sloppy performance in Luanda in a 2-1 defeat and an inability to profit from chances in Johannesburg saw the Brazilians shocked. And almost everyone immediately referred to the wizard Mosimane’s caution, or spell — however you'd choose to frame it.
Ahly, meanwhile, had won ugly against a team with far more pedigree than Petro, Raja Casablanca. Some critics in Egypt — including ex-player Wael Gomaa, who said Mosimane’s tactics make Ahly “look small” — were not happy. Ahly are still in the competition. There’s a lesson in there — or probably a few of them — for Sundowns somewhere.
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