The Buccaneers take on the Red Devils in the first leg of the 2015 CAF Confederation Cup semi-final at the Orlando Stadium on Saturday.
Pirates go into the game against the Egyptians on the back of two successive draws to Mpumalanga Black Aces and Polokwane City.
Phungwayo says their recent perfomances haven't been good enough.
"We have let the brand down because we're a big team," he says.
"We have to standout and we haven't done that recently. For him [Tinkler] there's pressure because he's the first person supporters think about, but as players we're responsible as well and we want to change that because Tinkler is a great coach for Pirates.
"We haven't been doing well defensively but were working on it. We haven't started well and hopefully things will change with time."
The former Bidvest Wits left-back appealed to The Ghost to come and make their presence felt in Orlando when they start their battle with Ahly for a place in the Final.
"They [fans] must come out in numbers. We need the 12th man on the field with their support we're always hyper. You need to have your fans backing against such teams."