Rhulani Mokwena cites Pitso Mosimane philosophy as MC Alger gear up for a do-or-die CAF Champions League clash against Mamelodi Sundowns

Mamelodi Sundowns and MC Alger are set to clash in a fate-determining CAF Champions League Group C clash on February 14.

After five games, third-placed Downs and second-placed Alger are only separated by a point, which means the upcoming game will seal their fate; the winner will be assured of a place in the quarter-finals, and the loser will be eliminated.

It is expected that the match will be an emotional encounter for Mokwena, who will be facing a club where he was mentored by Mosimane and a team that gave him a podium to hone his coaching skills.

However, the need for points will be a much greater priority for the former Wydad Casablanca tactician, who needs a win to reach the last eight.

When he was in charge at Chloorkop, Mosimane elevated Mokwena from the junior team to be his assistant, and since then, the latter has gone on to establish himself as a top coach.

"When I recruited him from our U19 team to be my assistant at the senior team, one journalist asked me to justify my decision. I only told him that, with time, Rhulani will be better than me," Mosimane said.

"There was silence in that media room, and few people doubted [even within the team] and did not understand and foresee all that I saw. The worst part was again justifying my decision to recruit him back into my technical team after Chippa United fired him.

"I could not suppress that talent that few knew about. End of the story, you can track his journey up to date! One day, he will be back in SA to share and support the experience that he is currently gathering," he concluded.

One of the lessons the Premier Soccer League winner said he learnt from the former Bafana head coach is to give young players a chance and trust them.

“I think as coaches we have two responsibilities: one is to give opportunities to kids, which I’ve done in my career in every club I’ve been in,” Mokwena told the media, as per iDiski Times.

“The only thing potential needs is an opportunity; potential could be in business, it could be as a sports administrator, it could be as a sports coach, it could be as a journalist – somebody had to give you a chance."

"I am sitting here today because Coach Pitso Mosimane gave me a chance, and everybody in life deserves a chance. And then it is our responsibility to assist those players to fulfil their potential, and there are different ways to do that, but I think the kids in Mouloudia have a lot of talent," the 38-year-old further stated. 

The South African only lasted one season with Moroccan giants Wydad Casablanca before they finally parted ways. He was given a chance by Alger to redeem his coaching career, and so far, Mokwena has won the Algerian Super Cup.

Mokwena and his charges are chasing Ligue 1, the Algerian Cup, and the Champions League trophies. If Alger keep the current momentum in Ligue 1, they are highly likely to defend the league title.

The Algiers-based outfit leads with 36 points from 15 games, with a seven-point gap ahead of second-placed Constantine, who have played three more games.