Al Ahly coach Pitso Mosimane hits back at critics ahead of Mamelodi Sundowns showdown

Mosimane succeeded Swiss coach Rene Weiler in September last year after winning the domestic treble with Mamelodi Sundowns.

The former Bafana Bafana coach then led the Club of the Century to the Egypt Cup and their CAF Champions League title in seven years which completed a treble of their own with the league already wrapped up.

A historic third-place podium finish at the FIFA Club World Cup followed and with the Red Devils in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and in contention for league honours again - he's hit back at those questioning his management.

"I've looked at Ahly's history in Champions League, seven years we've not won it and now we've won it, we qualified for the quarter-final with a game in hand. I think you can remember Ahly went to Sudan the last match and maybe the last minute to qualify, so you can say it was a little bit better this year," Mosimane said.

"We won the Champions League, we are still champions. So I understand you are a little frustrated, you want 3-0, 4-0, 5-0 and that has not happed with Ahly in the last seven years with every coach. We've got more points than last year, we're defending champions and the third-best team in the world.

"Yes, we're not scoring the 5-0, 6-0 that you want. But I want to know who scored 5-0 or 6-0 I have not seen that team in Egypt for the last seven years."

1. Manuel Jose (1 January 2004 - June 2009) - Egyptian Premier League x5, Egypt Cup x2, Egyptian Super Cup x4, CAF Champions League x3, CAF Super Cup x3

2. Hossam El Badry (22 June 2009 - 22 November 2010) - Egyptian Premier League, Egyptian Super Cup

3. Manuel Jose (31 December 2010 - 19 May 2012) - Egyptian Premier League

4. Hossam El Badry (21 May 2012 - 6 May 2013) - 1 CAF Champions League

5. Mohamed Youssef (29 April 2013 - 30 April 2014) - CAF Champions League, CAF Super Cup

6. Fathi Mabrouk (1 May 2014 - 7 July 2014) - Egyptian Premier League

7. Juan Carlos Garrido (8 July 2014 - 3 May 2015) - CAF Confederation Cup, Egyptian Super Cup

8. Fathi Mabrouk (4 May 2015- 5 October 2015)

9. Jose Peseiro (16 October 2015 - 18 January 2016)

10. Martin Jol (28 February 2016 - 22 August 2016) - Egyptian Premier League

11. Hossam El Badry (24 August 2016 - 15 May 2018) - Egyptian Premier League, Egyptian Super Cup, Egypt Cup

12. Patrice Carteron (12 June 2018 - 22 November 2018)

13. Martin Lasarte (30 December 2018 - 17 August 2019) - Egyptian Premier League

14. Rene Weiler (31 August 2019 - 30 September 2020) - Egyptian Premier League, Egyptian Super Cup

15. Pitso Mosimane (30 September - present) - CAF Champions League, CAF Super Cup, Egyptian Cup

Mosimane added: "We are okay, we are not the best but we've done everything that we're supposed to do. We've won the league, the cup, the Champions League, a medal for Africa, qualified for the quarter-final, second on the log with two games in hand, so we've ticked our boxes if I look at the history of Ahly for the last seven years I've ticked my boxes.

"If we win Berkane in Qatar I'll say four cups, so relax a little bit it's coming, if we win in the Egypt Super Cup I'll say five.

"Then I'll say to you have you ever done it in the last seven years? It will go slow, we're not the best but we'll get there."

The Club of the Century host Sundowns on Saturday evening (21h00) at Al-Salam Stadium for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

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