Wydad Athletic Club coach Rulani Mokwena admits that he is not surprised by the early struggles of his team in the Moroccan league but is confident that his tactics will pay off in a major way.
Mokwena needed escort to get out of the stadium after angry Wydad fans threw objects onto the pitch, following their team’s 1-0 loss to RS Berkane in a Botola Pro League match on Saturday, in what was their second straight league loss.
Wydad had suffered a 2-0 loss to CODM Meknes on Wednesday before the defeat to 10-man Berkane left them in eighth place on the table, six points behind the league leaders, and the supporters did not take it kindly.
However, Mokwena feels it will take time before his players start producing positive results consistently but he is backing himself to achieve more than just league wins, drawing inspiration from his mentor Pitso Mosimane’s two-year stint at Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
Mokwena backing himself to bring glory to Moroccan giants
“At big clubs, you have to win games. My philosophy and beliefs are mine, and I’ll die by them,” Mokwena said after the match.
“Someone from Egypt told me, ‘Mokwena, you need to win the CAF Champions League with Wydad.’ He said, ‘Pitso Mosimane never won the Premier League title with Al Ahly, but he won the Champions League.’ He told me, ‘I am the guy to win the Champions League with Wydad.’
“I understand the expectations of Wydad fans, but we will get there. Inshallah. When we get there, we have to improve and even get much better.
“I believe in this team, our staff, and our work. No coach comes in when the team finished sixth the previous season… with new players, new board, new staff, and to be honest, I thought we would have struggled more than we have. I think it’s a good start for Wydad; we are just three points off the top of the table.”
Why is Fadlu Davids not surprised by Rulani’s Wyad struggles?
Mokwena signed 17 players, South African forward Cassius Mailula among them, ahead of this season but they have struggled for consistency, managing three wins in eight league games while losing as many.
He has, however, received the backing of his South African counterpart Fadlu Davids, who won the Moroccan league as assistant coach to Jozef Zinnbauer at Raja Casablanca last season, as he thinks he just needs time to get them firing on all cylinders.
“I know exactly what he’s going through; it’s not easy to hit the ground running. With new players, you are still beginning to understand them. They come into a big club in Morocco, and every match is challenging when it comes to picking up points. I am confident he will achieve success, and I wish him all the best,” Davids told FARPost.
