Former Iran national team assistant coach Roger De Sa has commented on Pitso Mosimane's tragic start to life as head coach of Esteghlal FC in the Iran Pro League.
Mosimane has now lost three matches in a row. On October 18, they succumbed 3-0 to Zob Ahan, before being beaten 1-0 by Kheybar eight days later.
To compound their woes, the side lost 3-0 to Al-Hilal in the AFC Champions League.
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De Sa, who worked with the Iranian national team from September 2022 to January 2023 as an assistant to Carlos Queiroz, insists that Mosimane did not make a mistake by taking on the challenging role.
"When you come to a team midway through the season, you can't make significant changes. There's no time to adjust, so he needs to just carry on," advises De Sa, speaking to KickOff.com.
"I believe he needs a bit of time and possibly an international training week. Maybe then, he could arrange a friendly match or two. It's always going to be difficult to step in like he did with a struggling team.
"I'm quite surprised that Pitso is facing these challenges. I thought he would be able to turn things around quickly. However, it also depends on the specific circumstances of the games they've played. Losing three in a row is tough."
The ex-Bafana Bafana goalkeeper further added, "Esteghlal is a top team in Iran, among the elite, comparable to Kaizer Chiefs. They consistently compete in the Asian Cup and in the Champions League, and they usually have many international players. During my time with the Iranian national team, we had many players from Esteghlal."
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De Sa believes the 60-year-old does not regret taking this role, stating: "Sometimes it just takes one good result or a moment of magic for everything to change. It's still early days, and I'm sure they will give him more time to get things right. They should allow him around five games to start implementing changes.
"My message to him is to keep going and to keep believing. He shouldn't be fazed by the current situation. He should focus on his job, and everything will fall into place. This is the nature of football. You can't panic. It's not the end of the world. Pitso isn't dealing with a life-threatening issue. Just keep moving forward."
Esteghlal next face 12th-placed Mes Rafsanjan in their domestic league on Saturday, with only one point separating the two sides..