Al Ahly captain Mohamed El Shenawy has opened up on the squad’s opinion of new coach Pitso Mosimane.
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Mosimane has enjoyed a near-flawless start to life in Egypt and has led Al Ahly to eight victories and one draw in his first nine games since replacing Rene Weiler as head coach.
The victories include an emphatic 5-1 drubbing of Wydad AC in the CAF Champions League semi-finals and a 2-1 win over Zamalek 2-1 in the final, giving Al Ahly a record-extending ninth title.
El Shenawy, who is Egypt’s No 1 goalkeeper, said Mosimane’s man-management has played a crucial role for his seamless transition since leaving Mamelodi Sundowns.
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“Mosimane is very close to everyone and treats players like his children and he always tells us to enjoy football,” El Shenawy explained on the Mona El-Shazly TV show.
“We knew him already and have been following him since he was coach of Sundowns.”
El Shenawy added that Mosimane’s arrival was imperative for their end-of-season success, with Weiler having lost the dressing room.
“We felt a change in Weiler’s treatment and he stopped doing some things, while others felt that he wanted to leave,” the 31-year-old admitted.
“So management decided to let him go and bring Mosimane to maintain the stability of the team [for the final stages of the season].”
