Manqoba Mngqithi has revealed how Pitso Mosimane’s obsession with winning influenced him and changed the way he approaches his work as a coach.
The two accomplished tacticians worked together at Mamelodi Sundowns, where they formed part of a technical team that delivered unprecedented success.
Mngqithi, now in charge of Tanzanian giants Young Africans, admits he has often been drawn to producing beautiful football. However, his time alongside Mosimane taught him that sometimes results must come first.
“I mean, what I like the most about Coach Pitso is that he’s a winning coach. Sometimes he compromises everything else just to get the results,” Mngqithi told FARPost. “Sometimes with me, I think I make the mistake of wanting this beautiful game of football that people will always admire. But it usually comes at a cost sometimes because you don’t win immediately.
“But when everything comes together, it becomes such a nice puzzle. But with Coach Pitso, winning is everything, and I like that.”
WHAT MNGQITHI LEARNT FROM PITSO MOSIMANE
Mngqithi says working with Mosimane also made him more demanding and meticulous in his approach. Before joining Sundowns, the former Golden Arrows coach had built a reputation for developing teams that played attractive football. But the environment at Chloorkop demanded more, with winning trophies regarded as the standard.
Mosimane’s attention to detail and relentless pursuit of results left a lasting impression on Mngqithi.
“It also helped me as a coach sometimes to be a little bit shrewd in how I demand my work, because Coach Pitso demands what he wants, and he’s got an eye for detail, probably another person that really helped me to sharpen me in my analysis of the game, because at Sundowns it became a completely different environment from where I was coming from, and Coach Pitso was in the forefront of that, and I will forever be grateful for the lessons learnt from him because I think he really added value in my career.”
Mosimane has since been handed another opportunity to lead Bafana Bafana, returning to a position he previously occupied between 2010 and 2012.
Mngqithi believes the appointment was obvious, given what his former colleague has achieved in South Africa and abroad.
MNGQITHI BACKS MOSIMANE TO SUCCEED WITH BAFANA
Mosimane won the CAF Champions League with Sundowns before adding two more continental titles during his spell with Egyptian giants Al Ahly. He has also coached in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, gaining experience across vastly different football environments.
“It’s a no-brainer, man. Pitso has achieved so much outside the country and even in the country. I think it was only fair for SAFA to consider a coach of his calibre,” he said.
“And if they were not to take him, then we would ask ourselves what is wrong with us not empowering our own people or giving these platforms to our own people, because other countries are doing it with their top coaches.
“And Pitso, I think, is a highflyer among the coaches in South Africa. And he has achieved so much at club level ….I believe he will do very well.”
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