Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane showed shades of Jose Mourinho on Wednesday night as his comments stole the headlines after his team failed to secure the league, writes DEAN WORKMAN.
Masandawana knew that a victory over Maritzburg United would secure them a record eighth PSL crown but they were held to a 2-2 draw at the Harry Gwala Stadium.
After the game, the former Bafana Bafana coach looked to take the heat off his side with comments that have become the main talking point of the evening. Pitso took aim at two of the media’s biggest football personalities, Farouk Khan and Robert Marawa, who he claims have an agenda against him and do not want him to be named Absa Premiership Coach of the Year.
‘Fadlu [Davids] is a very, very good coach,’ he said after the game.
‘He’s my candidate to win the coach of the year, not the cheerleaders in your [SuperSport 4] studio who are unbelievable and are punting against me. I know they do it against me, anything against me then it’s okay, but I can just say match my record at Sundowns.
‘They don’t want me to win it, but I can give it to him [Davids] so they don’t have to punt it. Most especially, Farouk Khan, he’s conflicted, he’s on the panel so why is he speaking about it?
‘That’s my opinion and I have a right to say it. He doesn’t have to respond. Pull the clip when him and Robert [Marawa] were speaking about it, it’s there, you’ve got it in your archives,’ concluded Pitso.
The press and indeed many fans have focused on these comments, not the result and Sundowns failure to secure the title. This took the pressure off the Downs side who can focus on their football and not comments in the media. Pitso managing a failure in a similar way to what Mourinho does after a disappointing result with Manchester United.
After the Red Devils were knocked out of the Champions League at Old Trafford by Sevilla, Mourinho’s comments captured the headlines instead of his team’s poor performance.
‘I’ve sat in this chair twice before, with Porto – Man United out, with Real Madrid – Man United out, so this is nothing new for this football club,’ he told the press, referring to previous Champions League heroics with his former clubs.
He then followed this up with a now-famous 12-minute rant in his next press conference. The Portuguese manager bemoaned what he called United’s ‘football heritage’, pointing to how his side fared under previous managers in recent years. He also pointed out the strength of Manchester City’s squad who boast the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva.
Both of these coaches have shown the ability to shoulder the pressure on behalf of their team. To most people, they may come across as arrogant and rude, but everything they say is for a reason.
There are other clear similarities between the two. They each manage one of the biggest clubs in their leagues where the pressure is on to win every game. Both of their clubs have rich ambitious owners who are willing to back them in the transfer market and they have both been hugely successful in their careers.
Pitso may have angered some with his comments after the game, but it had its desired effect. The pressure was taken off his team in a manoeuvre that Mourinho would be proud of.
