The bad news for Ajax Cape Town is that head coach Roger de Sa doesn’t have the best of luck in Cup finals.
The 50-year-old is good at getting teams to the line, but, somehow or other, the big prize has generally eluded him.
Only on one occasion has De Sa tasted victory in a Cup final – and that was in 2010 when he steered Wits to a 3-0 win over AmaZulu to claim the Nedbank Cup.
During his time at Orlando Pirates, De Sa took the popular Soweto club to three Cup finals – the MTN 8, the Telkom Knockout Cup and the African Champions League – and they lost all of them.
The Ajax coach and his Sundowns counterpart Pitso Mosimane met once before in a Cup final – in the 2005 Absa Cup. At the time, Mosimane was in charge of SuperSport United, and he emerged victorious 1-0.
Mosimane’s Cup record – all with SuperSport – has him winning one more Cup trophy, the 2004 SAA Supa8, but also on the losing side on another four occasions: Coke Cup (2004 and 2005) and Supa8 (2005 and 2006).
But the good news for Ajax is that De Sa is probably due a change of fortune. And, with the coach in a good space, with an enthusiastic young squad, and the momentum of a few promising recent performances, perhaps, just perhaps, Lady Luck is slowly turning a head, preparing to flash a smile at De Sa as Ajax head into the Nedbank Cup final against Mamelodi Sundowns in Port Elizabeth.
We scrutinise some of both coaches’ traits:
Roger De Sa:
Personality
Behind De Sa’s laidback, amiable demeanour, there lurks a devilishly clever football brain. Sit in on an Ajax press conference, and it’s an absolute delight as the loquacious coach elaborates on all matters football. He speaks with fondness about everyone he’s come across in the game – and, listening to him, it’s immediately evident that he loves what he does, and has tremendous gratitude for what the sport of football has done for him. But, probe deeper, read between the many words hurled at you, and it’s axiomatic that De Sa is a winner, he hates losing, and everything he does is geared towards victory, be that in the short or long term.
Man management:
The man’s good, very good! How a coach manages the different characters in a squad is vital for the smooth running and success of a football team – but this is particularly so at Ajax, where the overwhelmingly majority of the squad consists of players 22 and under. Some players need the gentle touch, some need a stronger hand, others need to be challenged. Look at Ajax’s best seasons over the years and you’ll find they had a coach who trusted and supported the club’s youth policy – Steve Haupt, Leo van Veen, Craig Rosslee, Foppe de Haan and, now, De Sa.
Tactical insight
Again, with so many emerging young players in the squad, rotation is crucial. As such, De Sa has often had to juggle his teams, sometimes playing three at the back, sometimes four. He’s been brilliant at fooling clubs by playing with two No10s (the position in the hole just behind the striker) – Erwin Isaacs and Bantu Mzwakali. With two crafty individuals roaming free, the opposition has found it difficult to cope. Also, De Sa’s intelligent use of Nathan Paulse has brought the best out of the veteran forward. Paulse, whether starting or playing off the bench, has caused defenders major headaches, while his aerial ability has assisted the Cape club in defence as well.
How will he approach the final?
Like any other football match, De Sa will try to win – and he’ll impress that attitude on his squad. He won’t just sit back and absorb lots of pressure. That could be dangerous, especially with Sundowns’ potent attacking force. While De Sa also won’t be gung-ho in an all-out attack policy, chances are, that he will opt for a game plan that allows Sundowns to have the ball, to pass it around in the middle, in areas where they aren’t threatening, and then they’ll hit them on the counter. It’s a tactic that’s worked for Ajax this season.
Pitso Mosimane:
Personality
He’s a coach who stirs emotions – and he does so because he is an extremely emotional character. He wears his heart nakedly on his sleeve. When he is unhappy, he says so – loudly. Some call him arrogant – perhaps he is – but this is a sport where a player or a coach can’t lack for self-belief. Mosimane is a go-getter, there are no half-measures. He knows what he wants, and he goes after it. Success is always about desire and passion for the task – and the Sundowns coach doesn’t lack for either of these traits.
Man management
At a club like Sundowns, where the hefty cheque book of mining magnate Patrice Motsepe is able to buy the best talent available, this part of the coaching job is critical. With such a bloated squad, which often sees top quality footballers sitting idle in the stands, Mosimane has to know who he wants to play, and why he wants them to play. With Sundowns having won the league title last season, finishing runners-up in this campaign, and making it to the Cup final on Saturday, Mosimane must surely be doing something right.
Tactical insight
Traditionally, Sundowns are a team that loves to pass the ball, to dominate the opposition through hogging possession and then clinically dispatching them when scoring opportunities arrive. But, in a surprise twist, Mosimane changed the approach in the Cup semi-final against Vasco da Gama last month. Having come off a heavy 5-0 defeat by Bloemfontein Celtic, Sundowns opted to forgo possession against the First Division team from Parow. They sat back, allowed Vasco to play, and then hit back efficiently on the counter. It worked – as they got the win that mattered, and the requisite place in the final. Afterwards, Mosimane said he had changed the game plan because “against Celtic we had all the possession and still lost 5-0”. This was an apt demonstration that the Sundowns coach is not one-dimensional.
How will he approach the final?
Having seen Mosimane change things so drastically in the semi-final against Vasco, this is an interesting question: Will we see the traditional Sundowns or will Mosimane opt for the “My Hyde” alter ego? For Sundowns, there is no other solution but to play their usual game. Any coach asking his team to sit back, allowing these talented Ajax youngsters to draw confidence from dominating possession, is asking for trouble. Mosimane definitely won’t, he has too much respect for the quality in the Cape club’s squad. He will have no choice but to play the Sundowns way. For the neutral, the clash of styles should make for an attractive, entertaining Cup final.