Pitso Mosimane’s Al Wahda assignment has been described as his biggest challenge yet outside South Africa.
Mosimane joined the Abu Dhabi-based club in June 2023 after successful spells at Egyptian giants Al Ahly and Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia.
In both those countries, the former Mamelodi Sundowns mentor enjoyed success in his first season. At Al Ahly, Mosimane won two CAF Champions League titles, two CAF Super Cups, one FIFA Club World Cup bronze medal, and one Egyptian Premier League title.
In just 10 months, he guided Ahli back to the Saudi topflight, finishing at the top of the table. However, Johannesburg-based agent Rui Frois, who recently watched Al Wahda play in the UAE, believes Mosimane’s move to the Abu Dhabi club will be even more challenging.
WHY AL WAHDA IS MOSIMANE’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE YET
“Watching Al Wahda in the UAE recently, I get the sense they are a big club with a lot of expectations,” Frois told FARPost a week after returning to his Johannesburg base. “They’ve not won the league since 2010 and would obviously want to win it again.
“I think this is Pitso’s biggest challenge yet because he takes over a group of not necessarily his players. It’s different from Al Ahly, where he found an excellent group of players. He hasn’t signed any players since arriving in the UAE. Do the players he has suit into his style? I don’t think so.”
Frois, who was pictured having dinner with Mosimane during his Abu Dhabi visit, is confident ‘Jingles’ can lead Al Wahda to success if the club is patient and supports him. Interestingly, the club announced a change to its board of directors, a move Frois believes could work in the former Bafana Bafana coach’s favour.
“Pitso is a winner. Look at how he turned around Mamelodi Sundowns when he took over in 2012,” he added. “So, he knows what it takes to win trophies. I am confident that he can lead Al Wahda to success.”
Mosimane has not had the best of starts after winning two of his opening five games. He lost the other three and sits in position 10. Al Wahda will play Al Ittihad Kalba in their next league game on Friday, 27 October.
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