Former Orlando Pirates midfielder Benedict Vilakazi insists that if it were Rulani Mokwena at the helm, Mamelodi Sundowns couldn't have struggled against Al Ahly in the first leg of the Caf Champions League semi-final.
Masandawana hosted the Red Devils at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium last weekend on Saturday and settled to a goalless draw. Despite dominating the proceedings, they failed to register a shot on target, with the defending champions having a couple of them.
However, ‘Tso' believes Mokwena would not have struggled to employ a positive approach against the Egyptian champions. The former South Africa international opined that the Red Devils already know Miguel Cardoso having played against him in last season's final, when he was with Tunisian outfit Esperance.
He further argues the Egyptian outfit was afraid of the combinations during Mokwena's time with the club, where they met four times across all competitions, with Masandawana securing two wins and as many draws.
‘Everyone feels they can attack Sundowns'
“There is a thing called coach power. People might be lost on what I’m saying. This coach [Miguel Cardoso] was beaten last season in the final, so they know him. They are not scared of him. Look at the chances that Al Ahly created, more than Sundowns. And when you look back at the last season or the one before, how they approached Sundowns, they were never attacking and creating as many chances as they did on Saturday,” Vilakazi said as quoted by iDiski Times.
“It is sad that I’m bringing this up, it’s not a nice thing, but I’m going to do it. If it were Rulani at Sundowns, Al Ahly wouldn’t even have had a shot on target or even gotten in Sundowns’ final third and scoring a goal because the coach power, plays a part in the game.
“One, they are scared of the coach himself, and two, they are scared of Sundowns as a team. They are scared of that combination. Everyone used to be scared of Sundowns, and now everyone feels they can play and attack against Sundowns,” Vilakazi concluded.
The second leg will be played at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday.
