Former Egypt assistant coach Roger De Sa has opened up on how he discovered the way to coach Liverpool FC star Mohamed Salah during his tenure assisting Carlos Queiroz.
De Sa and Queiroz were appointed to lead the Egyptian national team in 2021, guiding them to the AFCON final where they lost to Senegal.
He took up the same role in the Iranian national team, representing South Africa during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Sharing insights on his experience working with Salah, De Sa says he chose to be original rather than acting bigger than what he really is when mentoring the English Premier League star.
The South African coach believes his straightforwardness and genuine nature helped build strong relationships with Salah and other Egyptian players, who continue to seek his advices till this day.
ROGER DE SA ON WHAT WAS HIS CARD ON COACH SALAH AND OTHER EGYPTIAN STARS
“First of all don’t try to be somebody else. Don’t try to be Pep Guardiola, don’t try to be Arsene Wenger or Alex Ferguson, be who you are, and take what you have,” he told iDiski Times.
“Don’t try to be too clever. I was always just trying to be myself. Coaching, Mo Salah or [Mehdi] Taremi or whoever it is, what they enjoy is honesty and frankness and humbleness.
“To me, that’s been my card. And it’s worked. I get phone calls from all of them, and I get asked for advice from all of them.
“And sometimes I wonder why they’re asking me? But that’s how it is, don’t try to be somebody else. And also believing in what you know, of course. And the little that you know, if it’s honest and truthful, and everything else, it goes, it works.”
De Sa believes that South Africa continues to lack confidence in its own football expertise.
This is reflected in the tendency to appoint foreign coaches, despite the presence of local coaches who possess significant football acumen.
‘WE STILL HAVE A SICKNESS IN THIS COUNTRY’
“We still have a sickness in this country, we keep employing foreign coaches because we believe they’re better,” he added
“Meanwhile, I’ve travelled halfway around the world for jobs, and so has Pitso, and so has Benni and so has Bradley, and so on. But somehow, we still have a little bit of a tendency to go ‘bring in a foreigner to make things work’.
“But it’s the way it is, you can’t argue too much with that. But again, if you’re a young guy coming through the ranks and you want to make it abroad – be yourself. Take what you know, because all over the world, you’re gonna meet South Africans.
“I’ve worked in so many different countries, and I always meet South Africans. They could be pilots, doctors, engineers, mechanics, whatever they are, but they’re good at their job. As long as you do your job well, it’s okay.”
