Tinkler vs Mosimane: Will Caf experience come to the fore in Telkom Knockout Cup final?

With the 2019 Telkom Knockout Cup final between Maritzburg United and Mamelodi Sundowns a few days away, a lot has been said about the quality of the two sides as well as their technical bench. 

The Brazilians are strong favourites to lift the trophy given their experience, quality and depth when looking at the current squad, but it is certainly not a given that they will stroll past the Team of Choice on the day. 

Maritzburg United showed against Kaizer Chiefs in the semi-finals that they are not going to lie down especially against the so-called big teams.

They beat previous TKO winners in Bidvest Wits and Chiefs in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, meaning they have earned their stripes to be in the final. 

Sundowns last won the TKO in 2015 when they beat Chiefs at Moses Mabhida Stadium - the venue for Saturday's encounter. 

But our focus is on the two coaches - Eric Tinkler and Pitso Mosimane - who both won the trophy a few years ago. 

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Tinkler wrestled the TKO title away from Mosimane by winning it with Cape Town City in 2016 - this was after the Kagiso-born mentor won it at the expense of Amakhosi the previous year.

There are a few similarities to the two coaches going into this encounter - and that's Caf pedigree - although Tinkler reached the final of the Confederation Cup with two different teams in Orlando Pirates and SuperSport United. 

In 2015, Tinkler guided Pirates to the Caf Confederation Cup final where he lost to Etoile du Sahel while two years later, he took Matsatsantsa to the final of the same competition where they lost to TP Mazembe. 

One may say that's enough to rank Tinkler among the best coaches in the country - perhaps not on the same level as Mosimane who has won every domestic trophy available to him since becoming head coach.

Granted Mosimane is well-respected in the country and beyond the South African borders due to Sundowns' consistent presence in the Caf Champions League. 

However, both coaches know how to win big games with relatively smaller teams. 

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It was only Pirates whom some would consider big enough in all the teams Tinkler has coached in his career but he has proven that with all the necessary tools, he can lift trophies too. 

So, with both coaches having done it against the best on the African continent - all eyes will be on whether or not they can outshine each other on home soil in the Telkom Knockout Cup final.   

Tinkler has two trophies to his name as head coach - the TKO final with City and the MTN8 gold medal with SuperSport United - and he surely knows how to get his players to execute his game plan.

In terms of tactics, both Tinkler and Mosimane are sound - but their Caf experience can only come to the fore if the players come to the party on the day. 

So far, both sets of players have been impressive in playing for their respective coaches - but with this being the biggest game of the month, Tinkler and Mosimane will need more than their Caf experience to pull this one off because at the match of the day, the tactics can be right but the occasion can be overwhelming for the players. 

But one thing is for sure, a win for Tinkler would be a massive success for his coaching career while another trophy would further strengthen Mosimane's position as the best among his peers.