Pitso Mosimane says he needs time like Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp to take Al Ahly to the next level and win the FIFA Club World Cup.
Mosimane guided the Egyptian giants to a historic treble in the 2019/20 season and third-place at the Club World Cup in Qatar but has faced criticism for their lack of goals.
Having scored only once against tournament hosts Al Duhail before the 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich and the 0-0 draw with Palmeiras, Mosimane has defended their lack of killer instinct.
With only one transfer window thus far - with no pre-season in between - the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach has yet to really acquire players fit for his tactical philosophy, which he duly noted speaking on Al Ahly TV.
"When I arrived in Qatar, I said that our goal is to win the title. Everyone said that I am crazy," the two-time CAF Champions League-winning coach said.
"But everything is possible in football. We could have reached the final if we had drawn against any other team and not Bayern Munich.
"It took Klopp five years at Liverpool to succeed, and Guardiola took four years, and if two great coaches like them need time, I definitely need it too. I have been here for only four or five months. I have the full support of the board, especially Mahmoud El-Khatib.
"We need to bring in more players. We did not score enough goals in the Club World Cup, so we need to strengthen the attacking area. Goals are the most important thing in football."
Scroll through the gallery below to see the best images of Ahly's third-place FIFA CWC triumph
With DR Congo striker Walter Bwalya the only attacking reinforcement thus far, the likes of Khama Billiat and Gaston Sirino has strongly been linked with moves to Cairo.
But Mosimane has set his focus on building with his current squad, which he believes can continue challenging for silverware in the 2020/21 campaign.
"We want to return to the Club World Cup, and this will only be achieved by winning the CAF Champions League," Mosimane before talking up their new campaign in Africa's elite club competition.
"It was a difficult tournament, especially the final against Zamalek, as well as the Mamelodi Sundowns match, but we must defend our title.
"We will start this week without enough time to rest against Al-Merrikh. We celebrated the night before, and it is over. We will start a new chapter without forgetting the good things we achieved in the World Cup."
The Club of the Century is scheduled to face the Sudanese giants on Tuesday evening at the Cairo International Stadium (21h00).