Wydad Athletic Club coach Rulani Mokwena insists his team needs time before they can be counted as title contenders in the Moroccan top flight, popularly known as Botola.
Mokwena received some relief when his team ended their poor run to claim a 1-0 victory against FUS Rabat, thanks to a late strike from South African forward Cassius Mailula, who scored his first goal for the club.
Wydad had lost back-to-back games, putting some pressure on the former Mamelodi Sundowns coach, but the 37-year-old says his team was bound to experience bumps on the road given the many changes at the end of last season.
Mokwena draws parallels with De Zerbi
Mokwena drew parallels with French club Marseille, who are also going through a transition, but whose coach Roberto De Zerbi had been under pressure prior to Sunday’s victory over Nantes after going four matches without a win.
“Just the other day Marseille lost to PSG and everybody is putting stress on [Roberto] De Zerbi, that is football, but Marseille are in a similar situation as us,” Mokwena said after Sunday’s win.
“We are building a new team, we have a new board, technical team and new players, it takes time and I can say it when we have won because when we lose it sounds like an excuse but we need time for this project.
Will Rulani be given time by Wydad?
“If we are going to really invest. I am a 37-year-old coach, not 67. I am not here for the short term. I am here to try to learn, grow to improve with this team, to know the Botola better, to help this team win the Botola and that takes time.
“In the very near future hopefully I don’t need a translator because I have to improve my Arabic.”
Wydad’s win saw them move to fifth on the table with 14 points from nine matches, six behind leaders RS Berkane, and Mokwena will hope that they build onto it to stay in the title hunt.
